Oddities in Oak Trees
by cabbage-for-the-people
Summary: Syaoran has always been a strange boy. And just when nobody ever thought that he would react towards something ordinarily for once, he meets Sakura and falls for her. He then tries to court her in the most "normal" way possible. SxS! Complete!
1. Prologue

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Prologue-

A boy with a red nose and a frail build stood near the see-saw by the oak tree at the middle of the playground. The patches of grass beneath the soles of his white rubber shoes started to take on a brownish hue since winter had just ended and the glory of spring was just about to arise.

While everyone else was running around or dancing to the music created by their imagination, he refused to budge from where he positioned himself, not even when his blue shirt got accidentally stained by the pudgy kid running around the place; not even when his loose beige shorts almost slipped off from his slender waist. He just gawked at everyone else.

That was the first sign, Yelan Li had concluded.

On the first day of school for the little boy with a red nose, without any intention to, he hit his head in the rim of the toilet bowl. His classmate saw this and told this to his adviser later on. As he went home, he started to hit his head anywhere and everywhere. When his mother asked him why, all he said was a simple "because it's fun", all the while bashing his forehead against the palm of his hand.

That was the second sign.

When the red-nosed lad turned six years of age, his mischievous female cousin put her pink cotton underwear around his thin neck. Seeing that the piece wasn't so 'fashionable', she decided to make him wear it as a bandana. He was upset by this, being a kid who thought that girls had cooties. But he wasn't the type of person to rat out on other people's dirty deeds, so all he did was sulk in the corner of the room, hoping and praying that he wouldn't get the cooties. His mother saw him there after two hours.

That was the third sign.

Regrettably, it was also the last straw for his mother. A few days later, the skinny little boy with the ruddy nose found himself in the presence of a middle-aged woman. The golden plate on top of her wooden desk had the words _Dr. Kim Chan_.

His mother assumed that he had autism.

But that was eleven years ago.

"Would you like to order now, sir?" a teenage girl with black hair held up high in a messy bun asked. He didn't realize that he had been sitting there for over fifteen minutes, just staring at the menu of the café shop.

He gave a small nod to the waitress while pointing at the items he would like to have. Although he wasn't truly autistic, that didn't mean that he would stop himself from doing what he wanted to do just because his mannerisms weren't considered normal. He still rarely spoke and he still had a habit of gawking at even the most normal things such as his hands or the empty chair across him.

At seventeen years of age, he still was quite lanky, but his facial features compensated for that. He had short brown hair that was a little bit unkempt, eyes the colour of newly ignited flames, and a thin nose that emphasized the full form of his mouth. His face still had that charming rosiness from his earlier years even if it wasn't cold and the bushy eyebrows his companions used to make fun of now showed the unique blend of boyishness and manliness that his physical appearance portrayed.

He would have been rather popular with the ladies if he weren't so quiet.

Ever since his mother took him to various doctors and psychiatrists when he was younger, he slowly clammed up and let himself become more and more trapped in his proverbial shell of silence and bashfulness. But even if he didn't talk much, he thought a lot.

In some cases, he thought too much.

Take today as an example.

If anybody saw the green coffee mug placed on top of the table before him, they would just see it as that: a green mug on a wooden table. But Li Syaoran would notice the drops of the spilled brown liquid that formed a ring as he lifted the mug. He would conjure stories about impending doom in a distant kingdom and how the war that would soon be declared there would kill thousands of people not only from that kingdom but from the ones that that land had warred with. And it was all because he was reminded of dried blood when he saw the color of the trickle of fluid.

Now, he would have thought about the possible existence of mermaids as he caught a glimpse of a kid lugging around a goldfish in a water-filled plastic bag were it not for the person who had incidentally walked in to the cozy café.

It was a girl.

Instinctively, all that came to mind was how beautiful she was that she could rival the dazzle of Aphrodite; how innocent and naïve she seemed that he had this desire to drag her along everywhere he went to see and feel the way those actors did whenever they took their leading ladies to fanciful places.

The lass who had captured the heart of the silent lad wore a blue blazer on a white blouse. He guessed that those clothes were part of her school uniform. He eyed the way her skirt moved as a gentle breeze entered the shop when a group of elementary students entered the place.

And just as if fate had a little scheme planned out for Syaoran and the girl who had, at the moment, a cup of strawberry flavored iced coffee in her right hand, there weren't any vacant seats left in the popular café.

That was, except for the chair at the opposite side of his.

She looked at him while grinning sheepishly, cup now placed in both hands. "Mind if I take a seat here? There aren't any available chairs anymore aside from this one." she nodded towards the wooden chair placed across him. His only reply was the shaking of his head. Incidentally, he noticed the white card pinned neatly on her school uniform. It read: Sakura Kinomoto.

Sakura Kinomoto... a small smile found its way to his face.

Perhaps this day would prove to be pleasantly different for him.


	2. Oddities and Meetings

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-One-

There were quite a lot of things that Li Syaoran chose to notice. The ants crawling along the beige-coloured walls of the café, the chipped red nail polish of the twenty-something lady seated at the table on his right side, and the way the girl before him let out a small smile whenever she took small sips from her drink. What Syaoran didn't like to take notice of, however, were the more important things such as the uncharacteristic way that he had put fifteen teaspoons of sugar in his coffee and the fact that the young woman seated across him was talking to him.

It wasn't until she cleared her throat that he looked up to her face finally.

She grinned at him, all the while caressing her coffee-filled cup with her thumbs as she held it. "Is sugar a hit now?" She was referring to the amount of sugar he was pouring into his latte.

And it was at that jest-slash-query that he found himself actually listening to what she had to say without being distracted by even the smallest detail. Well, at least _partly _listening.

_Hit…_ "Hit, huh?" He beamed at her. "…Hit me baby one more time", he mumbled, chuckling to himself. It wasn't even funny, but he was Li Syaoran, and he was a strange boy.

Sakura blinked a few times. "Uh…huh…" There was a momentary pause of awkward silence. Now people might think that Li Syaoran wouldn't be embarrassed with his random statement, what, being put into far more ridiculous situations. Yet, he was terribly humiliated as he just realized that he had uttered a phrase that was far from the topic of discussion that Sakura Kinomoto had tried to make.

He would have stuttered for a good seven minutes were it not for the sudden ringing of his phone. But as it was a habit of his to wait for it to ring six times, he let himself stutter for the mean time before finally excusing himself to answer the call.

The auburn-haired lass blinked a few times. Her former companion was, indeed, peculiar. And yet, as she shyly stole glances at the lanky boy as he made his way out of the café, she had an equally peculiar desire to get to know the young lad more. And as she sipped the last few drops of her strawberry-flavored ice coffee, she grasped the obvious fact that she still didn't know his name.

"What to call you, then…?"

Everyone and everything is quite odd in their own way. Hello Kitty is odd for being able to talk without a mouth, Dogs are odd for licking their privates in public, most teachers are odd for the mere reality that they don't get asthmas with all the chalk dust that they inhale every single day, purses are odd since basic necessities such as cellular phones can barely fit in them (and yet many women still fancy them), and oak trees are odd for being used to tan leather through its bark.

Sakura Kinomoto was odd in such a way that she gave names to people whom she didn't know. She called 'Barney' 'Marianne' when she didn't know the purple dinosaur's name, and she once called her best friend 'Linda' instead of 'Tomoyo' when she first met her. For Li Syaoran, well… she still didn't have a name for him.

But she did consider 'Bob'.

* * *

He nodded, causing the fine strands of his hair to dance along with his movement. Almost everything was a blur to him: his statuesque mom who was currently wagging her finger at him, the stern look held upon her face. "You skipped your therapy session today." Her ebon-colored hair was held up high in a tight bun while the outrageously traditional red Chinese silk attire she wore gleamed under the bright chandelier light s of the room.

The extravagant place that Syaoran's mother fancied to be her 'We Need to Talk Room' had large golden-draped windows that overlooked the not-so-splendid view of the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo crowd, massive intricately carved double doors to serve as its entrance and exit, splendid furniture from the most expensive porcelain shops in Madrid and wooden tables, chairs, and such from Italy, and a fireplace that was never used ever since it was installed in the confinement.

In the usual way that Li Syaoran's mother showed her disappointment towards something, she folded her arms against her chest and paced back and forth, pausing to face the disinterested lad every now and then whenever she emphasized a point. "Why would you do such a thing? You know that these sessions are there to help you!"

Her very frustrated statement was met by his silence. Apparently, he was too transfixed with the crystal chandelier above him to notice just how irritated his mother was to him. And there was good reason for him to be so entranced by the decorative light fixture for every beautiful glass was, in his mind, fashioned to look like the attractive girl whom he had gawked at earlier in the café. Since he couldn't help himself from sighing dreamily, he did so. Unfortunately, his mom saw it in a different way.

"Don't you _dare _brush off my frustrations just like that, Li Syaoran; I did not raise you to be such a disrespectful child."

His eyes widened slightly as if he remembered something important that he could possibly die due to suffocation if he had not recalled it. "…Strawberry!"

"I beg your pardon?"

A startled expression crossed his attractive features upon realizing that he was being scolded by his mother without him being aware of it. Yes, strawberry. It had occurred to him that this was what Sakura Kinomoto had preferred to have as her drink. Arches of bushy brown eye brows furrowed together as he let out another sigh, albeit the more recent one was in a defeated manner. What was _his _impression towards her? He sincerely hoped that she would still consider him as someone normal even if the standard school uniform he wore had paint stains all over it (he had art classes that day).

He glanced at his outfit, hands stiffly placed at his sides. The golden school seal which was designed to look like a shield with the silhouette of an archer and the kana characters for the campus was splattered with green paint, his black blazer and black slacks had patches of various colors in random places, and oddly enough, his shoes were left clean. A subtle frown made two lines appear at each corner of his mouth. He really should stop himself from being such a sloppy painter.

"… And Miss Chan! Go up to your room right _now, _young man!"

He did as he was told.

Now normally, he wouldn't miss his therapy sessions since he understood that it would upset his mother immensely if he did so. But he was craving for coffee and his psychologist's office smelled like a beer-chugging man's burp with deodorant. It wasn't the first time he had missed a session, but it was surely a first when it came to consciously avoiding it.

He added an extra bounce to his stride as he reached the last three steps towards the floor of his room. Uncharacteristically, he skipped a few times until he reached the familiar white door of his bedroom. The comforting scent of oranges met him as he opened the entrance of his 'Spaceship', as he fondly refers to it in his mind. The whole place was far from a humble area, but it looked rather bare. The walls were the color of apple green lined with white, his carpeted floor was also green but darker in shade, the study desk at the far right side of his room was made out of rosewood and so was the bookshelf beside it and the lone coffee table near his aquarium by the opening of his room. Basic necessities for adolescent boys were also present: black plasma television in front of his white bed at the middle of the room, silver laptop placed on the desk of his study table, and pretty much every conceivable new gadget he could get his hands on.

The last few rays of the sun as it began to set flooded its way through the circular shape of his windowpanes (he wanted it that way so that it would look more like a spaceship) as he let himself land on his bed with a loud thud.

"Sakura Kinomoto…" It was more of a whisper to his self than anything else.

He repeated the name over and over again, sometimes in mumbles, sometimes at the top of his lungs. He loved the feel of the words as he savored every syllable, every letter of her name. And then he made his way to his study desk, grabbing a red crayon to draw strawberries in various sizes. Most of them didn't have faces, but he did draw large round eyes on some of the strawberries.

Strange boys have strange ways of showing attraction.

* * *

The distinct sound of the school bell resounded throughout the vast halls of the campus. It signaled dismissal for students. While most of them had the privilege to go home right away, Li Syaoran wasn't one of those. Despite his constant oddities, he was quite the ideal student; academic-wise, that is. His routine of grumbling his way towards his club meetings were marginally lessened today, though. In fact, he found himself humming cheerfully as he waited for his school hours to end.

For this day was, undoubtedly, the day after yesterday.

All statements of obviousness aside, the Chinese lad was strangely filled with unspoken joy because that day marked a chance for him to see her once again. He discreetly patted the red paper bag he held with great care in his right hand. He had bought cookies on his way to school that morning. And as if fate truly had planned things for him, the pastry shop had a special limited edition of strawberry-shaped chocolate chip cookies. He evidently bought a box filled with the saccharine delight, all the while whistling a happy little tune to himself. He didn't realize that he had been whistling the eternally catchy beat of the theme song for Sesame Street.

And so, he waited… and waited… and waited for the final minute of the seemingly never-ending school day, but impatience makes time drag on endlessly, so what was originally six minutes of waiting felt like eighteen hours of his rear end being stuck to his seat.

He would have crushed the paper bag he was gripping and in the process, the strawberry-structured pastries as well if it were not for the bespectacled president of his poetry club finally letting out the three magical words: See you tomorrow.

In all of his disinterest towards life and the more important details concerning it, that moment when he entered the vehicle (which was just his bicycle) that would take him to what he believed to be his destined setting, he found himself actually looking forward to something.

It was quite a new mixture of emotions, what he was experiencing now. He felt strangely thrilled yet nervous and restless but excited and worried and concerned.

He passed by the popular bookstore and the small ice cream shop that marked his being near his destination.

Today would mark the day when Li Syaoran would finally be able to say the five coveted words that he never thought he would be able to utter out in a lifetime: I like you very much.

He didn't care if Sakura Kinomoto would see him as odd. After all, what fun is it if normalcy seeped into every pore of the human person?

Boredom, really.

* * *

It was precisely fifty-two minutes past four when Li Syaoran had entered the familiar comfy atmosphere of the café where he had encountered the girl with the identification card that spelled out Sakura Kinomoto. He would have been able to memorize her student number if he only had better eye sight, but he had poor vision and he refused to wear glasses. His very unreasonable answer as to why he would vehemently shrug off the act of having spectacles was because it didn't make him 'look cool.'

While most teenagers would probably say the same thing, though, Syaoran believed that he was the only conceivable human who looked like a "vomiting frog" whenever he would try on eyeglasses. Eloquence was not quite his forte when it came to describing things. Not that that fact bothered him much; his words were more abstract and vague when it came to illustrating things through words. Perhaps this was the reason why he was part of the highly regarded Poetry Guild which was, as indicated evidently by the name itself, an organization wherein poems were discussed and written on a weekly basis.

He looked at the round red wall clock that greatly contrasted with the beige wallpaper of the café. By coincidence, the only seat that was left unoccupied was the one where he had placed himself the day before. It was three minutes to five now. His fingers dug into the paper bag filled with cookies.

He wasn't exactly sure if she was going to come on that day. He usually didn't go to the popular coffee place since he wasn't a fan of crowds, so he had no inkling if she came there regularly. By the moment that twenty more minutes had passed by, he decided to entertain himself by mixing fifteen packs of cream, fifteen teaspoons of white and brown sugar, fifteen squeezes of ketchup, and fifteen dashes of pepper in his latte. It was rather obvious that he was fond of the number fifteen. He wasn't aware of it, that is, if he _was _ever aware of it, he chose to ignore it. The fact of the matter was: he grew to become fascinated with that digit due to a simple reason.

On his fifteenth birthday, his mother, in her usual orthodox ways, threw him a rose-themed party. All the shades of roses were present in the place as Syaoran made his grand entrance into the Li manor's dining hall. Being a guy and a conventionally straight one at that, he tried with great difficulty to avoid the femininely designed festivity but to no avail. However, as much as that day proved to be his worst, it also proved to be as one of his best ones.

Although many people chose profound, once-in-a-lifetime moments such as Catholic weddings or prom nights as their best days, Li Syaoran proved to be quite different for that date was the time when he had gotten his very first… drunken night.

He wasn't a fan of alcoholic beverages, but he was depressed and depression can make people do unnecessary things. That day was, he grinned to himself upon the memory, the day when he proved himself to be a 'true man'. Again, other people would say that being a true man would mean commitment towards marriage or maybe bravely wearing pink. But Syaoran believed that having an overdose of alcohol in his system made him a man because it showed that he could be a rebel. His mother absolutely abhorred people who got drunk since she supposed that it was the first step into becoming a criminal.

So when he sub-consciously threw up on the bouquet of red roses that was placed by the entrance of the dining hall, his mother gave him a long sermon about murder and pedophilia. Syaoran couldn't comprehend why she started to go into that topic, partly because he was drunk and mostly because he didn't care. It was the first time he had been grounded but he really didn't mind. He considered himself manly… a rock star, even.

He stared at the glass door of the café which served to be its entrance and its exit. Was she coming? Or did she already drop by and then decided to leave?

Every now and then, the gentle tinkling of the bell placed above the door would signal a person entering, but every tinkle wasn't the sign for Sakura's entrance. He was about to sip what was left of his latte but upon remembering the ghastly mixture he had concocted in his drink, he chose to play with the end of his school uniform's necktie instead.

"Umm… sir…" he looked up to see the same waitress who served him the day before. "If you're not going to use the menu anymore, could I borrow it for the other customers who haven't ordered yet?" Syaoran nodded in return, all the while gawking at the star-shaped clip of the girl. A story about a young farmer boy who sacrificed his beloved pet pig for the freedom of his lover from the clutches of the evil emperor of the Star Empire began to form in Li Syaoran's highly imaginative mind. The emperor abducted the princess because he was apparently craving for pork but his kingdom had no pigs left in them since he had devoured all of them already except for the farmer's pet pig.

But as Li Syaoran was about to hum the theme song for the short little tale that he had conjured in his mind earlier, he noticed a figure looming over him.

"Hey, dude!"

It was his best friend, Takashi Yamazaki.

"What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked.

Takashi Yamazaki hated coffee. It made him itch terribly whenever he attempted to consume anything that tasted like it, so it was strange to see him in the café, iced coffee in hand.

"I am retracing my steps."

Li Syaoran frowned at what his buddy said. "What?"

"I came across a black cat so I have to retrace my steps," he said matter-of-factly. Yamazaki was tremendously superstitious. In fact, that was the reason why he and Syaoran became friends ever since the second grade of elementary. Apparently, Li Syaoran had a lucky spirit since he never broke anything in his entire life. Even when he accidentally threw a golf ball into the lavatory's mirror, it didn't have a single mark on it afterwards. When Takashi learned about this extraordinary detail about Syaoran, the slant-eyed boy began to tag along with him as much as possible in the hopes of having even the smallest amount of luck rubbed off from him. In the process of doing so, they began to develop a friendship.

"And that…?" The brown-haired lad gestured towards the coffee Yamazaki was carrying.

"I'm giving it to the black cat to make her get constipation."

"That's animal cruelty." Although Syaoran didn't speak to other people that much, Takashi was an exemption, simply because he found the navy blue-haired boy interesting. "And how would you know the cat's sex?"

"I assumed that the cat was a girl since she's temperamental."

"Huh?"

"Well, I tried to shoo her away since I didn't want to have to go back and retrace my steps because my ankles hurt. And then she goes all Jackie Chan on me and starts to claw out my shoes," he pointed at his feet to prove his point. Faint scratch marks could be seen.

And though the lines that Takashi Yamazaki utters out are akin to the script of a bad sitcom, Syaoran still found it amusing to hear the dark-haired boy talk. It made him feel like he wasn't the strangest kid after all. Not that he cared that he was odd… most of the time.

"So… what are _you _doing here? I never knew that you went here. Do you come at this café often? I don't, obviously, but I just…" Yamazaki paused before placing the coffee he bought on the table in front of Syaoran. "…Dude!"

Syaoran followed the direction of his closest pal's stare. The object which had caught Yamazaki's attention was a white bowling ball fashioned to look like a grinning stout puppy. "Dude," Takashi repeated with more excitement, "I won't have to torture that cat after all! That dog had just nullified the badness of that cat's luck!"

"Takashi, it isn't a real dog. The bad luck that the black cat brought upon you is still there." Syaoran took a sip from his drink, only realizing that he shouldn't have done that. "Oh! That's gross." He spat out the coffee he had played with a while ago then wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his school blazer.

"Dude, I know my luck more than you ever will, even if you're a lucky person yourself." As much as Takashi would like to sound like a 'surfer dude' because he thought that he would get more 'chicks' that way, it didn't quite work out the way he wanted it to. All that resulted from his forced way of speaking was that he sounded like he was choking up on something whenever he talked. "Here, mate; you can have me bloody coffee." And often times, he mixed up his accent with an entirely different one.

"What are you, a surfer/British/pirate guy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dude." He gave off an exaggerated wave of his hand. "I fare thee well," Takashi bowed courteously as he walked towards the exit.

Just as the brown-haired boy was about to get the iced coffee his friend had given him, however, a loud bang made him steer his attention towards the glass door of the café.

In the usual routine of the highly predictable movies of the chick-flick type, it was expectedly the person who Li Syaoran had known to come.

…Well, not really.

Standing in the doorway without a care for the Takashi Yamazaki who was busying himself by rubbing the side of his head was none other than Yelan Li. Due to the fact that Yamazaki always had his eyes partially closed, he didn't notice that he was in the way of the older lady when he was about to leave the shop; hence the bumping of his head against the taller female's shoulder blade.

Syaoran never expected his mother to come barging into the café, especially since Yelan wasn't exactly a fan of places that weren't luxurious enough for her taste. The surprising bit was that the ebon-haired woman herself was startled to see her son sitting in one of the red plastic chairs of the place.

"Syaoran, what are you doing here?" Even though his mother didn't show any emotion other than the twitching of her left eye, he could tell that she was just as surprised as he was.

"Uh… drinking coffee?" He nodded his head towards the drink Takashi had left for him. Of course, this was not truly the reason, but Li Syaoran refused to tell his mother about his situation regarding Sakura Kinomoto. Probably because he feared that she might scare off his crush, or maybe it was because he didn't feel comfortable telling his mom about that since the elder _did _prod her way already into every aspect of his life. The last time they had an educational school tour in the local museum, she had hired four body guards to keep an eye on him in case he gets kidnapped or something. What Syaoran didn't know was that there were really five guards instead of the four he had spotted. His mother was awfully paranoid when it came to his leaving the house or the high school grounds.

She really had a good reason to be that way. After all, the Li Clan was very prominent in the business world since they owned practically a fourth of the jewelry and food industry in Tokyo alone.

"… Yes," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world that she was a little embarrassed to not being able to observe it. She gazed at the way Syaoran traced the rim of his iced coffee's glass confinement. It wasn't necessary to do so, but she explained her own reasons as to why she was in the place herself. "I'm here to negotiate with the owner of this shop. I'm planning to buy this… humble place since it seems to generate a rather large crowd." She discreetly glanced at her son before continuing, "I think that it would be better if I made this cafe bigger. There _is _an unoccupied area beside this, right?"

Apparently, Yelan wanted to check the audience that the coffee shop attracted on a regular day so she didn't bother to let the owner know that she was going to bless the place with her presence.

Syaoran let out a sigh of relief as his mother decided to not bother him anymore by going to the owner at the upper floor. He didn't notice that he had been holding his breath for an extended time.

"Oh!" The messy haired lad swiveled around upon hearing that high-pitched sound, only to gaze up into the green eyes of Sakura Kinomoto. "Bert!" She had officially decided to call him 'Bert' since she still didn't know his name. A wide grin placed itself on her face as she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Eyes the color of the rays of the sun as it sets at dusk frantically looked from Sakura to the pastry-filled paper bag to the coffee Takashi had given to him. "Uh…" He finally settled to rest his orbs upon the wooden table before him. "…Would you mind it if you… sat down with me again?"

Syaoran desperately wanted to bang his head against the wall, but he was too far from it so he couldn't. Where was the courage that he had oh-so confidently displayed just a while ago?

Ah, but Li Syaoran did not know that with his very query, he had established the beginning of a close relationship with Sakura Kinomoto.

The auburn-haired girl let her smile widen even more. "No, I wouldn't mind that at all."


	3. Liking You in Afternoons

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Two-

There are many times when people choose to daydream. After all, there is nothing quite as lovely as sitting contentedly on a chair with both hands intertwined at the back of the head while dreaming on about things far from reality or whichever one finds best to think about. For Li Syaoran, however, there was no need to daydream.

For the reality that he currently found himself in was, by far, better than any daydream he could possibly muse about.

Sure, drinking diluted iced coffee while glancing every now and then at Sakura Kinomoto uncomfortably would be far from the ideal awesome setting. It wasn't exactly the same as finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or being able to catch all the possible Pokémon in the latest game edition for the series, but Syaoran found joy in the simplest things in life, and if it meant being able to sit with a girl whom he fancied very much, then so be it.

"So…" Sakura smiled awkwardly at the boy whom she had dubbed as 'Bert', all the while drumming the fingers of her right hand on the wooden surface of the table between them. "Uh… how's your coffee?"

He pressed his lips together before letting out a loud smacking sound. "It's kind of bland," he paused as if he was unsure of what to say next, "Yours?"

"Umm… I'm not drinking any. Coffee, I mean."

He really should remind himself to not humiliate his self during dire times like these.

Syaoran, as pointed out in earlier parts of the story, was terrible with talking. Unlike his good friend, Takashi, initiating a friendly conversation with someone he barely knew was difficult. In fact, his conversation skills were borderline non-existent.

And so he did what he thought was best at the moment: point out mundane things and make them seem like the most interesting thing in the world.

"Isn't it nice when clocks tick?"

Sakura, in return, simply tilted her head to the side, confusion evidently making her assume that what Syaoran said was probably the worst pick-up line in the universe. Well, since she was a kind person and since kind people don't make fun of others, she just smiled in return, never really knowing what to say back.

Li Syaoran probably sensed his companion's perplexed disposition as he chose to frantically think of other ways to initiate a conversation with her.

True, the red-nosed lad was strange. But the fact that he studies in a private all-boys school and the truth that he only selectively spoke to people added to the current misery he found himself in. He was no smooth talker and it's hard to not doubt that he would never be one.

"Yeah, I find it nice and comforting when I just listen to the clock's ticking… but I never really noticed it the way you do."

"Oh..."

Now the wide-eyed lass must have taken Syaoran's "oh" as a disappointed tone to what she just said, when in fact, it was actually an "oh" of relief. Her reasons as to why she would think that anybody would take an uncanny enthrallment with the sounds of various timepieces and such, is, regrettably, rather unexplainable. She let out a small gasp before saying, "I mean, I'm sure other people find clocks and their ticks nice and really fascinating and all…umm… I mean… ha, ha, ha… don't mind me, I'm just babbling away here," all the while waving her hands in front of her face in a dismissive gesture.

Syaoran crossed his arms against his chest in a defeated manner. The conversation between the two was evidently going nowhere and he honestly had no clue as to how to put a little more spark into it. What did guys in those romantic movies usually do when they tried to impress other women? He didn't know.

But just as he gave up on all hope to make the pretty girl sitting across him see him as even the smallest measure of being an ideal guy, common sense started to knock its way back into his mind (which was, all sorts of congeniality aside, comparable to the attention span of a gorilla on drugs). "Oh!" he mumbled to himself, a distinct object catching his eye.

Yes, 'oh'. He began to forget that he had bought Sakura Kinomoto the red bag filled with cookies that fate had purposefully laid before him just that morning.

With a rather goofy grin on his boyishly handsome face, he placed the pastry bag on the table, shyly pushing it closer to Sakura. "I… umm… bought you these." His cheeks reddened slightly since he wasn't used to making such acts like that. It wasn't the grandest of gestures, and he was pretty sure that lots of other guys would have added an extra touch of balloons or flowers to put a little more of a romantic feel to it.

The auburn-haired girl blinked a few times in return, a bit surprised. Almost instantly, he reached out for the cookies again, his cheeks reddening even more.

"Oh… uh… sorry about that… I," he paused for a while to gulp nervously, "I just passed by the bakery this morning… and… umm… I thought that you might like these because…well, I noticed that you liked strawberries." He took a few more seconds of analyzing the situation he was in and what else to say, but all he could come up with was another apology. "I'm sorry, I mean, they aren't exactly strawberries… what's inside the bag… but they _do _look like strawberries…I mean… I'm really, really sorry." He fiddled with the end of his uniform's necktie, the humiliation that he got himself in making him find no reason to do anything else but stutter in her presence.

Sakura, finally finding herself out of the startled state she was in, smiled sweetly at him. It would have been enough to make him consider that day as the best one he ever had, even surpassing the day when he got drunk on his fifteenth birthday party. When Sakura Kinomoto gently pulled back the cookie bag, though, he knew that that moment made awkward pauses of silence while drinking diluted coffee in an overcrowded café the greatest setting to start something even better than teenaged rebellion.

"Thank you." Her brilliant green eyes looked at the cookies and then back to Syaoran. "That was very kind of you to do."

When he was about to say something back, though, he spotted his mother coming down the stairs of the coffee shop, an expression of absolute triumph etched on her fine Chinese features. "I… uh… have to go… umm…home now. Sorry… I mean, bye." He abruptly stood up from his chair, eyes focused on his mother, hoping and praying that she didn't see him talk to Sakura. If Yelan would ever find out about his little crush on Sakura Kinomoto, the older woman would undoubtedly find a way to embarrass him to no end. And we're not just talking about his naked baby pictures here. Knowing his mother, she probably would hire spies and investigate on Sakura, like what she did to his best friend, Takashi.

"Wait!" The petite girl grabbed his arm just before he could run away, a puzzled look on her face. "What's your name?" Perhaps it was time to stop referring to Syaoran as 'Bert'.

"Huh? Oh… umm… it's Syaoran. Bye now… ah!" he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening slightly. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Great. I'll see you then!"

The russet-haired boy made his way towards the familiar glass door of the café, making the small bells above it move back and forth in an almost violent manner. The companion he had just left presently stood by her seat, hands clutching the gift he had given her. Odd; the boy was truly odd.

And yet… odd was oddly good.

* * *

Even though Li Syaoran wanted to blame his mother and all the while uttering the eternal whiny statement that is "You're ruining my life!" he found himself much too tired to do so. Besides, he was absolutely sure that his mom would just suspect that he was drunk, although he had only indulged himself with alcohol overdose once in his entire uneventful life.

He tapped the tip of his mechanical pencil against his Math book fifteen times, and at the same instance, he tapped his left foot fifteen times. And when his mobile phone rang, he waited for it to ring six times.

Habit made him do all those things, but as much as he wanted to change that, he was too much of a habitual person to do so. Change made him uncomfortable.

A loud sigh emanated from his lips. Even if he looked forward to seeing Sakura the next day, he didn't want to face another day at school.

While being strange certainly had its perks when it comes to erasing boredom, it also had its downsides. Having to be greeted by glue spread all over his chair and his locker was considered mild already. Even if Syaoran was constantly surrounded by body guards, he made it a point to be left alone during school hours and whenever he went to answer the call of nature because he didn't want them gunning down his classmates even if those classmates of his _did _terrorize him mercilessly. So it was pretty much inevitable that he would be bullied to no end when he was within the campus.

This was the sad reality of being 'different' from others. Syaoran never wanted to be who he was, but it is what it is, and he would rather stay the way he was rather than change it for anyone else… even if there wasn't a day in his life that he would find a lizard or a dead butterfly on his food during lunchtime. Of course there were moments when he would very much like to punch the living daylights out of the people who made sure that he would undergo strenuous bullying activities every day, but he wasn't exactly the strongest guy in class, and he wasn't the most courageous one either.

"Well… surprise, surprise."

A foul smell made him wrinkle his nose with disgust as he opened his school bag. He didn't bother to examine what his classmates decided to put in it since he was pretty certain that it was either someone's gym socks, or worse, toilet water. "It looks like homework's going to have to wait."

He should remind himself to photocopy Takashi's notes next time.

* * *

If there was one thing Sakura Kinomoto wouldn't have guessed that day, it would be the surprise in the paper bag the boy in the café had handed out to her.

She took out the plastic container inside, careful not to drop the gift, for she was a very clumsy person. A short pause was timed as she held her breath once she saw what was inside. The cookies looked strangely familiar. When was the last time she had seen this particular design? Strawberry-shaped cookies weren't that unique, but there was a certain feel to the cookies that she decided was best to shrug off at the moment. She neared one of the cookies to her lips and took her time to take a bite off of it. Strange… it was strange indeed.

The cookie tasted like love.

When was the last time she had tasted something similar to this? Nostalgia could be felt, days when she once wore a look of innocence; days when she once loved. His silver hair and thick glasses came to mind. Her eyes widened slightly at the memory. Could it be?

She scampered towards her desk drawer, hands slightly trembling as she picked up her phone. Was he back in Japan?

He was her first love. He had said that he never could reciprocate her feelings, but he was nonetheless her first love. He had gone to Paris to study as a pastry chef two years ago. The taste of the cookies was undeniable. Only he could have made them.

Only Yukito could have made them.

Two rings could be heard as she dialled his number. It was possible that he had changed his number, right? It didn't hurt to try, anyway.

Another ring…

She closed her eyes tightly. _Please pick up._

"Hello?" a voice deeper than she had imagined answered the phone.

"Yukito?"

She could sense a smile from him as he warmly asked her how she's been.

"I should ask the same from you, I thought you were still in Paris."

A moment of silence followed. "I… decided to quit after all."

Sakura froze at the statement. "But…"

"I guess some dreams were meant to be just that: dreams." She heard a sigh come from him. "But please don't worry about me! I'm fine."

Sakura felt her shoulders drop as Yukito continued to ramble on about his life in Paris, how he felt it wasn't the right time to bake seriously yet, how he still promised himself that he would go back if he had another chance.

"I'm fine, Sakura. Please don't worry about me. I know how you are, and you tend to worry too much about other people. But this time, please do me a favour and don't worry about me."

His words stung. How could she not worry? He had given up a dream that he had chosen above everything else. Most of all, he seemed to have given up on himself.

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out I was back in Japan?"

She glanced at the cookies Syaoran had given her. "Because of the taste."

"The taste?"

"Something only you could have made."

"I don't understand."

"Are you working at the same pastry shop you used to bake for in the past?"

Silence once again. She could hear him exhale as he muttered an almost incoherent "yes", his voice softening even more as he said his goodbye on the phone.

She put down her phone; eyes watering a bit as she delicately took another cookie and bit onto it. She tried to stop her bottom lip from quivering as the tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The taste was undeniable, indeed.

It tasted like love.

* * *

Li Syaoran opened the door to the café he frequented lately, paying no attention as the bells above the door tinkled to announce his arrival. Sakura had said that she would be there, and he fully anticipated her coming.

Was she able to try the cookies? He was eager to know.

Upon discovering that there weren't any seats left, the odd boy with russet hair frowned slightly, wondering how he was supposed to stage a non-stalker like meeting with her. If he waited by the door, it would seem like an ambush. So what would be the best thing to do? He thought to himself, arms crossed against his chest. If he waited by the corner to accidentally bump into her, wouldn't that seem shady? He hunched his shoulders in defeat.

_I want to see you_. But how, exactly?

He took two steps to the right, then to the left. It seemed like an awkward dance, the way he moved since he didn't know where he was supposed to go and what he could do now. A light tap on his left shoulder signalled him to stop his awkward dance.

"Hello." A familiar tingling sensation could be felt as he swivelled around to come face to face with the girl he so desperately wanted to see that day. Or even the day after that. Heck, he wouldn't mind seeing her even the days afterwards!

"Hello," he waved shyly at the girl, as he felt his facial muscles contort into a stubborn smile.

"Looks like there aren't any seats left," she said, her gaze scanning the café crowd.

"Y-yes." He felt like he could burst any minute. He was giddy, much too giddy. "Would you… umm… I mean, if you wouldn't mind, that is… would you… maybe like to go somewhere else?" he fidgeted.

Sakura pondered on this for a moment. "There's this bakery I would like to go to…"

* * *

Syaoran looked at Sakura and then to the silver-haired man she was talking to. He looked much older than they were.

The bakery they had decided to go to was right across the café they went to regularly; and it was also the bakery he had bought the cookies from. Syaoran glanced at the cuckoo clock above him. He was ten minutes late for his appointment with his psychiatrist. Not that it bothered him, anyway. He took his time to imagine a story about a game show designed to…

"I still love you."

He glanced up, thinking it was him that was being talked to. He was wrong.

It took a while before he realized that Sakura had just confessed to the older silver-haired man. His mouth slightly agape at the revelation, an odd feeling of defeat and confusion enshrouded his senses. Perhaps he heard wrong? He lifted his head up again to confirm if he had imagined things.

The older man sighed as he placed both hands on Sakura's shoulders. Syaoran wanted to punch him right then and there but restrained himself from doing so.

"Sakura, perhaps you have made your companion wait for too long already." It was a form of rejection as the man with glasses and silver hair walked away from Sakura, her face showing signs of defeat and confusion; the same feelings that Li Syaoran had at the moment.

Sakura took her time before she turned around to face the boy she had met at the café, an awkward smile plastered on her face. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I didn't think our conversation would go that far."

He nodded in reply with his head down, afraid that his face would betray his want to shield the fact that he was stunned and desperately confused at the same time. "It's…okay."

"…I'm embarrassed. I guess I never would have guessed I'd confess my feelings to him again. I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this." She bit her lower lip, not knowing what else to say.

Of all the times he had wanted to confess as well, it had to be that day. Was it alright to do so? He knew it wasn't, but he could burst any minute if he refrained himself from doing so. "Would you like to go somewhere else?" The way he asked it was so fast, it sounded like one word instead of a coherent question.

She nodded.

* * *

The walk was excruciating. They had decided to leave the bakery, but they didn't really know where to go from there. Syaoran fiddled with the strap of his bag, not knowing how to approach the situation. If he doesn't confess now, would it mean that he would lose to the silver-haired man? Of course, she was the one who told the guy that she not only liked but _loved_ him, but did that mean all hope was lost?

He wondered about this for a while, before the distinct sound of her voice brought him back to his senses.

"It was because of the cookies."

He furrowed his eyebrows at the statement. Did she mean the ones he gave her the day before? "…Cookies?"

"He left for Paris to become a pastry chef, but he quit and went back to Japan. I don't know since when, but I only found out about it when I tried one of the cookies you gave me."

The cookies. The cookies he once thought had been shown to him because of fate. Damned fate. _I curse thee to the high heavens!_ He waved his fist in the air with the thought, unknowingly making his companion raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Um…"

He snapped out of his reverie then, an emotion overpowering all else making him feel like he was about to burst any second. "Sakura Kinomoto!" He pointed a finger at her. It was rude to point fingers, he knew, but if he didn't do anything soon with his body, he might really burst.

"What is it?" she asked, a bit startled.

"I…" he paused for a bit, as if contemplating.

"You…?"

He took a step back. Should he run away? _No, it's now or never, silly beaver!_

"I like you!" he bowed fervently, his finger still pointing at her. And then he got up, his eyes showing a look of zeal. "I like you, and I promise to protect you from any sadness and I like you." He already said that he liked her multiple times, but he couldn't stop himself from doing so again and again.

A startled look ran across her face before she blinked a few times. Was he serious?

"I…"

"It's okay if you don't feel anything for me at the moment, but if it's okay," he bowed again to show his earnestness, "please let me show how much I like you."

And that was how his afternoon went.


	4. Foolish Wheels

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Three-

Li Syaoran had recalled the events that afternoon, his face buried in one of his pillows.

He had never expected that liking someone that much could feel so liberating yet suffocating at the same time.

He couldn't breathe as he thought of how Sakura's face turned beet red, her eyes widening as she said that she had no words for him. Would he, _could _he see her again? He had had many embarrassing moments in his life that he shrugged off, but this time, he was too embarrassed to even _think_. He closed his eyes shut as he recounted how he had pointed his finger at her (quite rudely at that) and how he had confessed so abruptly after she herself confessed to the man she loved as well. She had run off as he bowed at her and asked to show how much he liked her. It was evidently the wrong move, and he regretted it to no end.

He let his phone ring six times before picking it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dude!" It was Takashi who was on the other line.

"Yes?" Syaoran winced as he realized how irritable he sounded.

"What's the matter? You sound annoyed. Anyway, I found this cool website full of chicks you can call up anytime and get to hang out with you!"

"You are probably going to choose the blondest bimbo of the bunch. That site sounds shady; I think you shouldn't bother with it."

"What! It sounds legit enough to me! Here, I'll read out loud what the banner says: Eligible women: so glamorous will fit you like glove; truly auspicious and amazing to behold!"

"Sounds like some ad for Spanx in bad English. The ones my sisters wear from China."

"I'll hook you up with one of them."

"Wait, wha—!"

"Bye!"

The resounding sound of the call ending seemed to echo throughout the room as Syaoran held his phone stupidly in his right hand.

What just happened?

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto paced back and forth in her room. It was the first time a guy had confessed his feelings to her; she had been so keen on avoiding any confessions from the boys in her high school because she wouldn't know how to react to them. But this one, she never saw coming. Odd; the boy was truly, utterly, absolutely odd.

Yet, she was odd as well for thinking about him for too long.

Four years had gone by when she had vowed to herself that she wouldn't like anyone else, aside from Yukito.

Today should have been like all the other days for that past four years. Today should have been the time for her to hope that her unrequited love for Yukito would be returned.

She looked at the cookies Syaoran had given her, neatly kept in their plastic container. She could feel a certain magic in the air as she had thought of how he had confessed to her again. It was strange; terribly strange. Yet, it was also pleasantly strange. It was all sorts of contradictions, the way she felt.

"What do I do now?" Should she apologize for running away?

That afternoon happened so fast it was like a blur to her. What was supposed to be an innocent encounter with a new friend turned into… whatever that was. But you see: many—if not all—things happen for a reason. What Sakura would not be able to comprehend at that moment was that she was quite smitten with Li Syaoran. She was caught up with the habit of the idea of loving Yukito that she had forgotten how to break away from that thought.

Tomorrow.

Yes, she'll think about it tomorrow.

* * *

Syoaran gawked at the red wall clock at the café. It was fifteen minutes past four.

Li Syaoran had left school early that day, hoping that he would meet a certain Sakura Kinomoto at the same café again. He slapped both cheeks with both hands as if that action would be able to erase what he had done yesterday afternoon. _I want to see you again_, he thought to himself as he continued to slap himself silly, his cheeks reddening with each movement against his skin.

"Dude, meet your dudette!"

He swerved around to come face-to-face—well, more of face-to-chest—with a busty blonde bimbo. The same kind of girl he had described Takashi would pick out from the shady site he had visited the previous day. It was no surprise that the so-called 'dudette' had Takashi behind her, his slanted eyes appearing even more slanted as he gleefully introduced the blonde to Syaoran. Syaoran could see that her hair was bleached since she had undeniable Japanese features that didn't quite match well with the colour of her hair. He stood up from his chair and edged away from said girl, careful not to accidentally brush against her well-endowed chest.

"What's this all about?!" he hissed at a confused Takashi, who was at the moment eyeing anything but Syaoran's face.

"Well, y'see here mate, I came across that website I told you about yesterday…"

"What about it?"

"Let me finish before you lash out on me, buddy! I came across that website and I told you about the banner, didn't I?"

"…Banner?"

"It clearly said it was auspicious to date one of the girls in their site! Auspicious! Lucky, in other words! And I figured, if you date an auspicious person, being the lucky lad you are, then the luck surrounding the both of you would increase…" he counted with his fingers before holding all ten of them up ,"…TENFOLD!"

Syaoran stuttered for a good fifteen seconds before he shook his head, clearly flabbergasted at how superstitious his good friend was. "You don't have to believe everything you see as 'lucky', you do know that, don't you?"

"I'm telling you, it's true this time!" Takashi nudged the brown-haired boy towards the busty blonde. "This is Sakura."

Syaoran's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "…Sakura?"

"That's what I said!" Takashi flashed a toothy grin at him, his hands resting on the shoulders of the girl. "Have fun! And don't forget to spread the luck!" he waved his hand goodbye.

"Wait, is this even legal?!" Syaoran looked at the girl Takashi had set up for him and then to the retreating figure of his friend.

"My name means cherry blossom, you know", the blonde placed an arm around his, a playful smile gracing her red-stained lips. "You know, cherry blossoms are edible."

"I don't like to eat flowers. You can eat them yourself, but I prefer not to." He visibly tried to remove himself from the busty girl with no such luck.

"Not very friendly, are we? I don't know if you have noticed, but I'm being a delight here." she winked at Syaoran, causing him to try twice as hard to yank his arm away from her.

Another girl named Sakura, surname Kinomoto, stopped at the entrance of the café where she had met the boy who had confessed to her just the other day. She exhaled loudly as she thought to herself. _Today is 'tomorrow'. _She had promised herself that she would think about certain events that day, and she did that precisely. _Time to go in._ Part of her hoped that he wouldn't be inside.

You probably know where this would lead to.

Takashi had set up a girl (a busty one at that) with Li Syaoran. Sakura, surname Kinomoto, just wandered into the café they were in.

Syaoran's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "…Sakura!"

"Yes?" the blonde one looked at him, a bit confused. Her arm was still laced around his.

"Not you! The other one!"

"Oh… hello." Sakura looked at the other Sakura, and then to Syaoran. She really didn't know what was going on between the two, but the lady with him looked a good ten years older than they were. Her guess was close enough. The girl was twenty-five years old.

"I-it's not what it looks like!"

"What is it supposed to look like?"

The blonde Sakura looked at the two, one of them oblivious to what the other one was trying to explain. "It's supposed to look like we're on a date," she responded. Her response was clearly uninvited by the increasingly red Syaoran.

"Oh." For it to be less confusing, we'll call the blonde Sakura Blondie, and the Sakura Kinomoto as, well, Sakura. It was Sakura who let out the 'oh'. Syaoran couldn't tell if it was an 'oh' of disappointment or an 'oh' of comprehension.

"Well, I was just about to…" she shifted her green eyes from left to right as if in doubt of what to say next, "…get coffee! Right, that's why I'm in a coffee house, duh! Ha, ha, ha…ha…" she visibly gulped as she struggled to make it to the counter, careful not to trip over herself.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"Not you, the other one! Wait, Sakura!"

Syaoran managed to break free from Blondie, staggering towards Sakura. But for all reasons we might not be able to comprehend at the moment, he tripped.

T-r-i-p-p-e-d.

Tripped.

And for all reasons we might be able to comprehend, since this is the same boy who once delighted in bashing his head against the palm of his hand, he wasn't embarrassed at all as he stood up and continued to stagger towards Sakura.

"It's really not what it looks like! You see, a friend of mine set this up since I'm lucky and she's lucky…" he pointed at himself then to Blondie, a flustered look on his face.

Sakura blinked. Twice. And then thrice. This was before she started laughing, her left hand clutching her stomach.

Now it was Syaoran who blinked. But he blinked six times instead of five. He was at first confused, and then he was angry. He pouted at the laughing Sakura, eyebrows furrowed together. "What's so funny?" Was it that hard to believe that he might have been on a date? He had confessed to her the day before, but it didn't mean that he was a hopeless case even after she ran away from him. He wasn't _that _bad-looking, was he?

It was the first time he grew to be self-conscious of his looks.

All seventeen years of his life, that was the only time he had thought of what he looked like: his messy hair, his awkward stance, the weird colour of his eyes. He hadn't thought that maybe… maybe he wasn't right for someone as pretty as Sakura after all.

He clenched his fists. He was probably fooling himself that he had a chance with her and all he had to do was show her how much he liked her. He bowed fervently at Sakura, who at that point had stopped laughing, realizing that it was rude to do so. "I'm sorry!" And then he ran away, all sense of hope in him gone in that one split-second.

"Guess he'll never know what he missed," grumbled Blondie as she sat in one of the empty chairs in the café, ready to call her manager.

* * *

Li Syaoran imagined being drunk as he mumbled and walked along the side of the road, a peculiar sway to his movement as he did so. He was a minor, so he couldn't buy any alcoholic beverages. And all he could do then was imagine. He was good at that anyway.

"Everybody's looking forward –hic—to the weekend—hic—weekend…" he waved his hands in the air as he sang an awkward tune, mimicking how he sounded during his first drunken night. He passed by a group of kids by the park he had found himself wandering into, their face scrunched up as they doubled over with laughter while they ran around playing tag. He frowned at the sight, remembering how the object of his affections had made fun of him.

And then he stopped in his tracks.

He took a good look at his leather shoes and then at his uniform. They had art classes that day and he noted how dirty he looked, except for his shoes (oddly enough). He felt like a fool.

That was when he made a vow to himself.

Tomorrow… tomorrow would be another day.

And he was going to make sure that he would be suitable enough for Sakura by being as 'normal' as possible.

He subconsciously combed his hair with his fingers.

That's right; tomorrow will be a new day!

* * *

It was Sakura Kinomoto's turn to gawk at the doors of the café, afraid that she had offended the odd boy she had recently taken a liking to (but not really knowing).

"Oh no…" she smacked her forehead with right hand as she let out a groan, left hand clutching the coffee she had ordered out of impulse. She thought about chasing after him but he had gone away too fast. So all she was left to do was drag her feet as she went home, her head bowed with guilt.

She looked up as she passed by the bakery as she crossed the street, wondering if the strawberry cookies were still inside. Should she wonder if Yukito was there as well? She bit her lower lip at the thought that he might be inside, but nonetheless went in the pastry shop anyway.

"Hello?" She sheepishly called out, and was relieved to find that an old woman wearing a blue apron greeted her instead of the silver-haired boy she fancied.

"May I help you, young lady?"

"Yes, umm… I'd like to know if there are still some of those strawberry cookies…?"

"…Strawberry cookies? Oh, dear, I'm afraid there aren't any for today. They didn't sell very well."

"Oh…"

"I recall only this one fine young lad bought those from our store."

"Oh…"

"I remember clearly because he was so eager buying it, you see… never thought I'd see anyone as happy as he was when he bought them. Made me happy too."

"Oh…" Sakura lowered her gaze, not really knowing what else to say aside from that. She remembered how she once was eager to give Yukito gifts back then, and how he flat-out refused them each time. And then she began to wonder why she liked him again.

Was it out of pure habit, why she still had feelings for Yukito? Or were they truly genuine?

She thought about this for a time as she exited the bakery and said her goodbye to the old woman in the shop.

She remembered the very first gift she had tried to give him. It was a letter saying that she liked him, and she recalled how she stayed up most of the night to be able to write it. She had written it as nicely as she could, careful to keep her hands from trembling, even decorating the letter with stickers. She was thirteen at the time. And she had promised to herself right then and there that he would be the only one she would love, for she was a pure-hearted girl, and we can only guess what pure-hearted girls think. He rejected her the following day, and it hurt a bit. But she still kept her hopes up.

Did she unknowingly reject Syaoran when she laughed at him? She didn't mean to, but was she being like Yukito who had always taken her feelings with a grain of salt?

These were something she had to think about for the rest of the day.

* * *

"What are you talking about? Of course you're fine just the way you are! Completely normal!" Takashi reassured Syaoran on the phone, and the russet-haired boy could easily imagine his friend waving his hands dismissively as he cradled the phone on the crook of his neck.

"I always thought I was, but I can't help but feel like I'm too… weird."

"You should've gone out with the blonde Sakura instead! She wouldn't have put those silly ideas of you being 'weird' unlike that Kinomoto chick!"

Syaoran tapped his left foot eight times before he caught himself doing so. "She wouldn't have because she got paid to do so."

"Who said she gets paid?!"

"The website. Apparently auspiciousness comes with a price."

"So… you _have_ been looking at the site!" he could hear Takashi clap his hands with glee.

"No, I… I just remembered, okay!"

"Fine, I'll take yer word for it, matey!"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're a pretty normal guy aren't you, Takashi?"

"What?! I'm appalled by such a description! I'm super ordinary!"

"Super ordinary?"

"I mean, extraordinary! You know what I mean."

"Yes. But can you help me be 'normal'? I don't really know how and where to start. I didn't realize until now that I was so… out of her league. I'm too weird."

"Aw, shucks, buddy! You're not weird in my book. But you know: it's never a bad thing to be strange."

"I beg to differ. There are two kinds of weird: the adorable, eccentric kind and the annoying, repulsive kind. I'm more of the latter than the former."

"What! That's not true! You're as adorable as a…a… puppy curled up in bed!"

"Give me a break! In all seriousness, I need your help."

"Well, I don't really know how to be normal, since I _am_ a bit too great to be that way, but we can ask this kid in school to help you out."

"You don't mean…?"

"Eriol Hiiragizawa!"

Syaoran could not help but groan inwardly. Eriol was the freshman who liked to trip him during club meetings. He was also the one kid in school who could and would do any 'favour' for the right price. Of course, all but favours of the sexual, drug-related or violent kind. He was only thirteen going on fourteen, after all. "Tell me more."

Syaoran was almost certain he could hear the wheels turning in his buddy's head.

* * *

**A/N:** For those of you wondering, in the first chapter/prologue it was mentioned that Syaoran doesn't actually have autism. He's just very strange. Enjoy the next chapters; they'll be coming soon!


	5. Getting One's Money's Worth

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Four-

One of the things that Eriol Hiiragizawa knew and loved most was money. So when he found out that one of the richest guys in school wanted to ask him a 'favour', he knew right away how much he wanted.

"20,000 yen. Cough up or scram."

"That seems like a lot." Takashi scratched his head as he tried to compute the difference between that and how much he paid Blondie Sakura the other day.

Syaoran appeared hesitant, eyeing the thirteen-year old boy who exasperatingly continued to suck on his Popsicle stick, treating it as if it were some sort of cigarette. "10,000 yen's all I've got at the moment."

Eriol frowned at this. "Come back when you've got enough."

"Wait!"Syaoran rummaged through his pockets. "10,010 yen?"

Eriol thought about this for a while, as if ten yen made all the difference in the world. "Tell you what, I'll take it… but!"

"But?" the two high school seniors asked in unison.

The youngest of the three smiled slyly as he popped the icy treat out of his mouth. "I heard there was this blonde lady you have been talking to…"

Takashi narrowed his eyes knowingly (not that this action could be seen) and elbowed the Popsicle-wielding boy. "I knew it! You're interested in her, aren't cha?"

"No!" Eriol held up his right hand to Takashi's face, his other hand adjusting his glasses, albeit Popsicle still in hand. "I mean, in some ways, yes."

The situation was turning out to be more suspicious than Syaoran would have liked. Said boy pressed his lips together, deep in thought. "It doesn't matter anyway. I just need what I need."

"What _is _it you need anyway?" Takashi asked, hands on hips as if mocking a prepubescent girl.

"I know what he needs," Eriol interrupted whilst throwing away the rest of his dessert in the trash bin.

"What a waste!" Takashi slapped his palms against his forehead, looking longingly at the discarded ice treat.

"What he needs," Eriol continued loudly before lowering his voice significantly, "is a girl." He sniggered as he continued, "that's what you seniors always ask to have, anyway: a lady. Now I'm not a ladies' man myself, but I do have my resources. He took out a magazine from his bag. It showed a well-endowed girl winking at the camera. "Things like these that boys your age are too afraid to buy, I've got. Of course, the 10,000…no, 10,010 yen is exclusive of the fee for it."

"What! Are you serious? We can easily—!" Takashi got cut off by an eager Syaoran.

"I'll take it!"

"WHAT!"

Syaoran looked at the bewildered Takashi, confused. "It's not like we can buy magazines like these."

"Too embarrassing?"

"No, too telling."

"Do tell me what's too telling about it. You know what, never mind. We can find things like these on the internet!" Takashi sighed loudly, "What a waste of time!"

"Take it or leave it!" called out the slightly disappointed Eriol. "You know, I was only kidding about the magazine!" But it fell on deaf ears.

…Well, one pair of 'deaf' ears.

Syaoran looked pensively behind him as he and Takashi walked away, ready to get whatever it takes to be _not_ weird. He stopped their brisk walk, making the slant-eyed boy beside him jerk a little bit from the sudden halting of movement since he was yanking Syaoran's right arm all along.

"I'll take it!"

Now, Syaoran was not the type of boy to resort to all means to change his usual behaviour. He was accustomed to the way he was and he hated change, so it was out of character for him to associate himself with anyone who would gladly change him. He eagerly ran back to where the freshman was standing, waving his wallet in the air.

"Geez, dude! Are you _that_ desperate to get some chick?"

"She's not just 'some chick'", Syaoran yelled back, panting a little bit. He was really out of shape from drinking all those lattes. "She's Sakura Kinomoto!" he yelled again, his hands cupping his mouth as he did so.

"C'mon!" Takashi acted out as he performed an elaborate gesture of dragging his feet towards where Syaoran and Eriol were. "What do you know about her anyway that makes you like her so much?"

Syaoran frowned a bit at the query. He liked her, and that was that. He didn't realize he needed another reason to do so. He rested his chin against a palm, his elbow resting on the opposite forearm. He looked at the clouds and envisioned them as bunnies hopping from one mystical blue pool to another as they wiggled their tail in delight. The battle between the rabbit clouds and the tree monsters that poked up, trying to invade their domain, had just ended. They formed a truce, it seems. He nodded pleasantly at the thought that the so-called war in his mind had ended peacefully, not minding the fact that he had, once again, got side-tracked into his own little world.

Takashi sighed loudly. "There he goes again…"

Eriol was busy counting his money until he looked up and saw just how far away Syaoran had gone to in his own world. "You do realize that every time you do that, girls will just step away one inch at a time until they're a good few feet away from you, right?"

That statement made the brown-haired boy look down and away from the clouds, his mouth slightly agape. "I hadn't realized…"

"Now you do." Eriol folded the paper bills into his pocket, satisfied that they had reached a mutual agreement. "Alright, I have the ultimate weapon to help you out. Meet me at the school gate at exactly four thirty. Don't be late or else I'll be gone once even a minute has passed by."

Li Syaoran never really knew what he got himself into right then and there, but he was willing to bargain whatever he had. Strange boys like him seem to lack common sense, but their decisions make perfect sense to them anyway so it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks.

* * *

There were certain moments when Sakura Kinomoto didn't know what to do. Now, as she stood outside the café she frequented, she braced herself, not really having an idea on what was in it for her. _Would he be here?_ Oddly enough, she wanted to see him. She wanted to apologize.

It was precisely twenty-eight minutes past four when she had entered the café. If she had just arrived a few minutes earlier, then she would have encountered a certain silver-haired boy by the name of Yukito passing by in front of the café and into the bakery he worked for. Certain events happen for certain reasons, there is a saying, and there is also one that involves time: time is of the essence. It is the heart of all things in this so-called line of destiny.

Sakura found herself seated near the window. And oddly, yet again, she didn't bother to look across towards the pastry shop parallel to the café like she always did. She hadn't even thought of it.

You know what most people reading this are thinking right now (probably with you included): she's finally falling for a certain peculiar boy by the name of Li Syaoran. Well, she _might_ be starting to like him, probably _might_ _not_ be starting to like him but _might_ be just curious. The al_might_y 'might' is what separates this situation from definiteness.

Oddly (once more), she tapped her left foot fifteen times against the wooden floor of the coffee shop. Wonder where she got that habit from?

* * *

"Li Syaoran," he answered once asked what his name was, his hands placed rigidly on either side of him.

"This," nodded Eriol towards the girl beside him, "is my girlfriend Tomoyo Daidouji."

Syaoran stiffly bobbed his head up and down before bowing earnestly. "It's nice to meet you."

"I was kidding!" Eriol waved his hands dismissively in the air. "She's my half-sister."

Syaoran maintained his bow, all the while partly yelling another "It's nice to meet you."

The girl by the name of Tomoyo bowed in return, wondering when he would stop bowing. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Eriol placed his hands on the older boy's shoulders, subtly signalling him to stop bowing. "She is the ultimate weapon I was talking about."

"How does she qualify as the ultimate weapon?" Syaoran wondered out loud, a bit surprised that he had asked audibly.

"Well, for one," he motioned at the pink headband Tomoyo was wearing, "she's a girl."

"…Well? What else?"

"That's about it."

There was a moment's pause before Syaoran's eyes brightened up. "Perfect!"

The raven-haired girl took one long look at the odd boy, observing every detail that was visible to the eye. "And who is the lucky lady you're trying to impress?"

"Her name's Sa—…"

"It doesn't matter." Eriol waved his hands in the air dismissively once again, "what matters is we get this job done by six. I have a curfew, you know."

"You'll need this." Tomoyo handed out an earpiece and a small microphone she clipped on the collar of Syaoran's inner shirt. "Say every word I dictate to you."

"This… should help me right?"

"Of course!" the lavender-eyed girl nodded emphatically.

"You'll get your money's worth," Eriol added.

Oh, how he was getting his money's worth.

He never would have guessed that the girl that Eriol had set up to help him would be his object of affection's best friend. None of them did, it was supposedly pure coincidence. But coincidences play in the hands of fate, and fate plays with the lives of people.

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto fidgeted in her seat, a worried expression on her face. Was he coming? She sipped the last few drops of her hot coffee, looking at the red clock that read two minutes past five. If he wouldn't go to the café, she didn't know how else to contact him.

"…Sakura!" a familiar voice called out. Mentioned girl looked towards the direction of the voice.

It was Yukito.

You're probably wondering why it would be Yukito, when there was this long paragraph previously that described how destiny goes and that she missed him by a few minutes earlier. Well, fate decided to play another game.

"Hello?" the way she said it came out more of a question than a greeting.

"He…Hel…lo…" He panted. Yukito had just run from the bakery to the coffee shop. It was a short distance, but he wasn't the same runner that he used to be back in high school. He took a moment before exhaling loudly. "That was hard. I guess I can't just sprint like that from one place to another."

"What is it?"

Yukito pulled out a small plastic container from his apron's pocket. "These… these are for you."

She looked at what he had handed out, shockingly unresponsive to it. "Thank you… may I know what's inside?"

"Yesterday…" he was visibly uncomfortable, "Yesterday, the old lady said that you were looking for the strawberry shaped cookies."

"…Oh. Yes, I was."

"So, I brought some. For you."

She looked at Yukito and then at the plastic container and then back at Yukito. "Again, thank you." She smiled at him, not really knowing why she felt so… indifferent. It was the first time he had given something to her, and yet she was unresponsive to it. Where were the sparks? Where was the magic?

Magic… when had she felt that, again?

"Well then, see you." Yukito shyly waved goodbye.

Sakura Kinomoto looked at the cookies, dumbfounded.

And then she watched as Yukito bumped into a boy with messy brown hair who, in turn, was apologizing profusely. "Sorry, sorry!"

Sakura continued to watch as the same boy with messy brown hair awkwardly marched towards her, arms tautly following the movement of his legs. She giggled but stopped herself from doing so upon remembering how upset the boy was when she had laughed at him the other day.

There was a short pause before he started speaking. "Hello, name of girl. How are you?"

"Name of girl?"

Upon realizing his rather idiotic mistake, Syaoran took a few steps forward, trying to correct himself. "I mean, hi!" he smiled, one of his dimples showing in the process. "Hi."

"Hello." She responded with a slight wave of her right hand.

He briefly turned away, his eyes shut. The green-eyed lass didn't know it, but he did so to restrain himself from being too giddy. _Why did she have to be too cute?_

"Umm… listen, I really have to apologize for what I did before."

He swerved around, fingers stiff and in a stance where he looked like he was about to run as he bent his knees. "…Before?"

"When I…laughed."

"Oh," he said, still in about-to-run pose.

"It wasn't because I was making fun of you! I—I'd never do that. It's just…" she blushed a little bit at how silly she sounded. She did not know how much this affected Syaoran as he tried his very best not to bite into a table napkin to stop himself from hugging her out of the blue.

"It's… okay… do… not… mind… at… all…" he said through clenched teeth, his eyes almost in tears from how tight he bit.

She smiled appreciatively and fidgeted again in her seat. "Would you perhaps like to go somewhere else? It is a bit crowded here."

"Yes… please…" and then he rushed out of the café, without hesitating to keep the door open for Sakura, of course. Those were orders from his earpiece.

He breathed out audibly as they exited the coffee house, his right hand on his chest.

"Are you okay?"

"I am fine, thank you. Where would you like to go?" he sounded robotic, but he wasn't a very good actor and he couldn't act naturally with someone spoon-feeding him his lines.

"I already decided where we'd go to last time so I think it would be fair if you decide where we go today." She smiled earnestly.

His face turned redder and redder, he felt like he could melt anytime soon. If he fainted, he could always blame the heat. But then again, it was winter so it wasn't that hot. It wasn't hot at all.

'_State a nearby location where you can talk. Remember, you don't have any money anymore, so choose wisely. Also, it is thirty minutes until curfew, so please hurry up.' _The voice of a younger boy could be heard from the earpiece. Syaoran guessed it to be Eriol. He thought for a good fifteen seconds before he decided on taking her to the park he happened to stumble upon the other day.

* * *

They fumbled through the snow as they reached their destination. The snow wasn't that high yet, and it never got to be too high in Tokyo anyway. Still, they wanted to avoid any tripping for they were both very clumsy people.

Nonetheless, Syaoran tripped.

Let's spell it out again: T-r-i-p-p-e-d.

Tripped.

He recovered as quickly as he could, like the last time. But there was one dire thing that he had lost along the way.

"…Earpiece!"

"Huh?" Sakura looked at a panic-stricken Syaoran, who was strangely clinging onto his ears like his life depended on it. She didn't know that it really did.

"I… uh… lost something."

"I'll help you find it, what is i—?"

"No! I mean, it's fine! I—it's not that important anyway!"

Oh, but it was. What would he do now that he lost the only thing that could help him act like _not_ himself?

He shuffled through the snow, searching at random places before he decided to just give it up. He was hopeless as it is, anyway.

He glanced at Sakura, who was waiting patiently in the cold, a worried expression on her pretty little face. Why did he have to be so pathetic? He desperately would have wanted to show her how much he could change for her and be the guy she could like, but he just had to fail at it at the most dire times.

And that's when he had a few flashbacks of his life, how he was so different from everyone else that he got bullied in school and even had to trouble his mother by going to the psychiatrist even though he knew he didn't really need to. His mother had said that those sessions were there to help him, but how could they have when all the questions centered on how he felt, and how he felt was 'normal' at the time?

Normal. How he wanted to be so, but he didn't know how anymore when all this time he thought he was very much that. It dawned upon him after a longer while as he continued to look for the earpiece. He was embarrassed of himself. He couldn't even go a day without thinking too much and subsequently isolating the people around him.

Syaoran hung his shoulders in defeat. "Sorry… I won't keep you waiting any longer." He could feel the warmth crawl up to his face.

Damp.

Why'd it feel so damp?

He held his fingers to his face, salty tears coming down on his reddening cheeks.

Was he… crying?

He hadn't cried in so long, he almost forgot what it felt like.

But there he was, crying. Right in front of his crush.

And crushes like Sakura Kinomoto didn't come by every day for boys like Syaoran, who were too preoccupied with their own thoughts to notice anything else.

"Oh! What is it? It's okay; if it's that important, I'll help you look for it! So please, don't worry about it!" She looked around the ground, not really knowing what she was searching for.

Syaoran could feel his bottom lip quiver as he sighed and let a few teardrops fall some more. It wasn't that it was important anymore. It wasn't that at all.

He was just too embarrassed.


	6. Assumptions on Cookies

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Five-

It ends, as most stories do, with a line.

"I must be kidding myself."

He sniffled as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his school blazer. "I must be kidding myself," he repeated. It shouldn't have been said out loud, but he didn't care anymore. He had managed to humiliate himself in front of her another time, even if he had planned on being someone entirely different already on that day, anyway.

Sakura stopped searching for whatever it is they were looking for, worried expression still placed on her pretty little face. "Kidding your self?"

He struggled to find his voice as he tried to muster a smile. He couldn't bring himself to even look at her as he responded. "I'm sorry; I was going to impress you, but… I guess I'm not very good at impressing people." His grin faltered as he put his hands in his pockets. It was starting to get colder as the time started to near seven in the evening. "I won't even think of bothering you anymore after this so," he bowed deeply, "so please forgive me."

Somehow, she could feel a sort of sadness as he got up and offered to take her home. She hoped it wouldn't be the last moment he would.

* * *

There was a loud thump as Syaoran threw himself on his bed. There were many things going on in his mind. He recalled how his classmates would always make fun of him, even as a kid. It was nothing new to him, but it occurred to him that perhaps he was at fault instead of the other ones. He closed his eyes as the faint sensation of pain could be felt when a classmate purposefully threw a snow-covered pebble at him, thirteen years ago. When he had asked the school nurse why his classmate would do such a thing, she firmly replied that it was because "kids can be very immature." Ten years later, the same thing happened and when he asked why again, a different school nurse answered flatly that it was because "teens can be very immature." All throughout his life, he had always blamed others for bullying him endlessly, and this made him think for quite some time that night. What if he was the one at fault for being so different?

What if… he was the one who had to change?

Who was he anyway, that people had to be the ones to change for him? And yet, he understood sullenly, he couldn't change after all. Even for a day.

Even for her.

He opened his eyes, afraid that once he closed them again, he'd only see her face. How strange it was that the one time he would want to distract himself by conjuring stories about random things, he couldn't do so. He let out a groan, frustrated. He couldn't think of anything else but her.

Syaoran picked up his phone and dialled an unfamiliar number. The person on the other line picked up after a short series of ringing.

"Good evening, this is Dr Kim Chan speaking."

"How do I change who I am?"

"May I know who this is?"

"… It's Li Syaoran."

There was a moment's pause as she seemed to process who it was she was speaking to. "It's been a while, Mr Li. May I ask you why you would want to change who you are?"

He walked toward his aquarium, fiddling with the container for his pet fish's food. He contemplated on whether he should put in some more even if he knew there was enough already. "Doesn't matter," he shrugged as he decided to put down the feed. It was a rude response, and he wished she could sense the equally rude shrug he did to put emphasis on just how much he wanted to show that it didn't matter at all. "Please just answer the question as honestly as you can."

She seemed unfazed by his reaction to her question as she cleared her throat before saying "Well, you can change your clothes and the way you talk; even your name. But your very essence can't be changed, no. So here's my sincere answer: you can't change. The core of who you are remains, no matter if you have done something you felt is wrong or…"

He sighed loudly. "That wasn't the answer I was looking for."

"Well then, perhaps I'm not the person you need to talk to about that matter."

"I'm sorry for interrupting and shrugging. It was rude."

"I didn't see you shrug, but I'm used to being interrupted. I hope to see you again. But only if you feel that you have to see me. I am not an imposition, please remember. I'm just here to help."

He thought about just how much his mother paid her to say such kind words, and he shrugged once more. "I just shrugged again. I take back my apology." Then he hung up the phone without waiting for her response.

The next day proved to be a complete challenge for the boy with eyes the colour of newly ignited flames. He had wanted to avoid the café at all costs, but being a creature of habit, he found himself right in front of the coffee shop after his classes were dismissed, anyway. _What to do now?_ He hated the idea of going home that day. He had no club activities that afternoon and he didn't want to see his psychiatrist for some time, especially since he knew that he would just ignore everything she says as he always does. He didn't like the fact that he had to talk to someone who gave him buttered words to fatten him up; buttered words that his mother had paid for.

As our male protagonist finds himself in the middle of the café and the bakery, he makes a sharp turn towards the bakery, not knowing where else to go. His bicycle let out a short squeak as he halted in front of his destination in a sudden movement, careful to not look at the coffee house he had grown attached to during the past weeks.

* * *

Fingers gripping the plastic container tightly, she looked at the confinement of the strawberry-shaped cookies Yukito had given her and then at the entrance of the bakery. Today proved to be another odd one for Sakura. She was so absent-minded and clumsy, it wasn't even funny. She woke up absent-minded and clumsy, got dressed absent-minded and clumsy, went to school absent-minded and clumsy, and talked to her friends and teachers absent-minded and clumsy… and all because she couldn't bring herself to shake off the events that transpired the previous day.

"_I won't even think of bothering you anymore after this."_

Whatever did he mean by that? He mentioned something about wanting to impress her, and she couldn't tell that he wanted to impress her until he said so. She had sought to say that he wasn't a bother at all, and that she was confused on why he would think this but he just skidded off on his bike as she was about to say something on their way to her house. It was his first time to have been able to see her home, but he went away before he even had the chance to do so.

She exhaled slowly as she realized she was holding her breath. She would be giving back the cookies Yukito had given her. She didn't feel right accepting them. When she had received them she was indifferent. She thought that this feeling would pass and that she would be feeling something more… _expected_. If she would accept his gift, wouldn't that mean she appreciated it? She didn't, after all. It was a strange thing and she couldn't, didn't feel anything but confusion these past few days.

And so she entered the pastry shop, absent-mindedly glancing at the familiar bicycle parked at the front of the store and almost clumsily dropping the cookies Yukito had given her.

"Ah!" Upon entering the bakery, she didn't expect him to be there, but there he was anyway. "Umm… how have you been, Syaoran?"

He stiffened as he slowly turned around; fully expecting who it would be upon hearing her voice. "H—hi…" he lowered his gaze and bit his lip. She was holding something familiar, but he couldn't figure out what it was at the moment.

She looked at him nervously, aware that what had happened the day before was probably running through his mind as well. It was an awkward circumstance.

"I've… been better," he said gently. "H-how have y-you been?" he hated that he was slightly stuttering at the moment.

"I've been finding myself wondering lately."

"…W-w-wondering?"

"About what you said last time." Her eyes never left him as she spoke, observing his actions all the while.

"What I said…"

"You said: 'I won't even think of bothering you anymore after this'."

His eyes shifted from left to right quickly, trying to recall his exact words. "I just… didn't want to be a nuisance anymore."

A nuisance? She frowned at this, quickly questioning "how so?" when she never once did think that he was an inconvenience.

"I…" he took a deep breath, "I know that I've only been troubling you, a-and… I-I know that…" he took another deep breath, "that I don't even h-have a ch-chance with you or anyone else."

She furrowed her eyebrows at the statement. A chance…? Was he courting her the last few days? "Were you…"

"I'm too weird!" he said louder than he expected, and his hands quickly flew to his mouth to cover it. He bowed his head before resting his back against one of the painted blue walls of the bakery. He readied himself. He knew she would confirm to him just how meddlesome he had been lately and that he was too strange a boy for her to even consider _looking_ at.

She thought about this for a while. "It's true that I do find you a bit odd…" she thought some more to choose her words carefully as her grip on the plastic container filled with cookies became tighter. "But that doesn't mean that you are all too different and don't deserve anyone." And then she thought some more, "You deserve to love and be loved, just like anyone else."

He looked up and uncovered his mouth as he processed the words she said. "I…"

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" they both looked at the direction where the voice came from. It was Yukito, carrying a tray of freshly baked pastries. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" he smiled warmly, and Syaoran couldn't help but near himself towards the exit as the girl he liked went closer to the boy she loved, the familiar plastic confinement still in hand. He didn't want to interrupt anything that might be happening between the two, especially since he felt that he had no place in her heart for him to even do so.

"I wanted to give these back to you. I couldn't accept them after all." She handed out the container, trembling slightly. Out of nervousness or the cold, Syaoran didn't know.

"…Oh." Yukito took them from her, opening it as he received it. "I guess you didn't like them."

Syaoran's eyes widened upon seeing what was inside of the plastic box, and he could feel his heart drop.

The strawberry-shaped cookies that looked exactly like what he had given her were placed neatly in the container, untouched.

A despondency that he didn't know could exist within the boundaries of emotions made him lower his gaze once again as he walked briskly towards the door, muttering an apology.

He was heartbroken.

He was horribly, terribly, utterly heartbroken.

It was the first gift he had ever given anyone aside from his sisters and his mother, and for her to discard the cookies he had been so happy to have had bought for her by giving them back to the one who baked them was the ultimate rejection.

What he didn't know was that the cookies she had given back to Yukito weren't the ones Syaoran had given her, and that the ones he had were still kept safely on the desk by her bed. Jumping to conclusions is never a healthy thing and he fell right into its big ugly jaws of temptation; right into its trap.

Sakura Kinomoto glanced towards where Syaoran was upon hearing him mumbling something, surprised that he was finding himself closer and closer towards the exit of the pastry shop. She sped towards him, leaving a confused and saddened Yukito behind, cookies still in his grip. "Please wait!"

As Syaoran sluggishly made his way towards his bicycle, he heard a muffled female voice come from behind the orange door of the bakery. He noted how the painted ducks on the door have faded in time. As he was about to imagine a world where ducks ruled a planet similar to Mars, his thoughts were interrupted as he felt someone grab his left arm. "Huh?"

"Where are you going?" she asked innocently, unaware that she had just smashed his heart into smithereens and then pieced it back together again by just talking to him at that second.

"I…I… ho—…"

"Are you going to the park again to look for what you lost yesterday? Because if you are, I'm coming with you. I'm sure we'll be able to find it."

A confused Syaoran nodded in return, despite the fact that he was about to go home instead. "S-sure…"

* * *

They tried to look for the earpiece again, and occasionally she would hold up a few items that she thought might be what he was looking for. In the end, she held up a button that looked like a sunflower and he had no choice but to exclaim that that was what he had lost the other day when it really wasn't. He just didn't want to trouble her anymore. She let out a squeal of glee as they walked towards the swing set to rest for a while.

"It's a good thing we found it!" she was transparently overjoyed.

There was a long pause before Li Syaoran got up from his swing and bowed fervently in front of Sakura. "I'm sorry!"

She cocks her head to the side, a puzzled look on her face. "I've always wondered about that as well…"

"About 'that'?" he asked, still bowing.

"Why you keep on apologizing when you don't have a reason to."

He thought about this for a moment before he lowered his bow. "I-it's just… you make me very nervous and… but… I-I'm not saying it's your fault at all! I just… I don't know what else to do…"

"Well, for starters, you can stop bowing," she giggled as he smiled sheepishly while he straightened his posture. "That's infinitely better!" she returned his grin, her hands clinging on the metal chains that held up the swing she was seated on.

"E-even if…" he began.

"Yes?"

"Even if you would hate me for it, I'll still like you," he said in one breath.

She looked up at him, her smile stuck on her face.

"I-I'll still like you… a lot!" He continued, stopping himself from bowing to show his earnestness. "I'll still like you, even if it would be too much!"

"I…"

"But I promise never to bother you about it. I like you, but I won't ever trouble you again!" he finished, his hands stiffly placed on either side of his body. "And if it's not too much to ask…"

Sakura watched as he looked at her eyes. She felt like she could get lost in his as he did so.

"If it's not too much to ask, I would like a response."

"A… response?" she asked, her grip on the chains unknowingly tightening.

"If…" he blushed an outrageous shade of red, bordering on scarlet. "If you think you could like me back, e-even just a little bit," he inhaled through his mouth visibly, "couldIkissyouonthecheek?"

* * *

Yukito ran out of his workplace, breaths of cold clouds seen as he panted out of nervousness. She had run out with the same boy she was with the last time. Something didn't seem right as she came after him, leaving Yukito behind in the process. She had returned his gift; that he could accept. But if she would choose that boy, or any boy for that matter, over him then that would be… he wouldn't be able to take it. The silver-haired man looked from left to right as he decided to take the left road instead.

It was true that he had rejected her each time for the past four years, and he had done so because of the age gap. He was seven years older than she was, but he was never immune to her charms. More so as they got older. He pushed the thought away as he neared the park and stopped once he saw Sakura's familiar face. He snuck behind a tree, careful not to be seen and yet be able to keep a safe eye on what was going on between the two.

He frowned slightly as he saw the boy she was with earlier bow before her. How he wished he could hear what they were talking about. Yukito tried to go nearer but refrained from doing so, afraid that he might be seen.

* * *

Sakura wiped her hands nervously on her school's plaid skirt, afraid that her hands would betray the fact that she didn't want to be caught being nervous, as she was at the moment. Should she let him kiss her? She honestly didn't know. All she knew was that something was starting to stir in her chest that she would want to comprehend. Her heart was beating so fast. And then she started to wonder if heartbeats were any indication that she was very much alive at the moment. Everything was a blur as she felt herself nod, inwardly astonished at herself for doing so.

He rested his hands on her shoulders lightly. The touch was so delicate compared to the hammering of her heart against her chest. She couldn't breathe as everything seemed to fade away, and all that was left was she and he and her persistent heartbeat.

He neared his face to hers.

She could feel his breath on her face like precious little snowflakes on her nose; like gentle puffs of excited pixies dancing on a field of emerald glass on a chilly spring day. She closed her eyes for if she didn't, she knew she would faint from the intensity of the moment. _So this is…_

She was fascinated by him, no doubt. She held her breath as he came nearer and nearer towards her left cheek, the part where the heart was closest and therefore beats the loudest.

"…Kura!"

_Whose voice is that?_

"…Sakura!"

The voice got louder and louder as the source approached them. It sounded like…

_Yukito._

…_Yukito?!_

Her eyes opened as she moved her head towards the direction of the voice.

Accidents are never accidents in the line of destiny.

It was time for fate to play another game.

Li Syaoran's eyes widened as he realized where his lips were resting, and before he knew it, he was shoved to the ground by an older, taller man with silver hair and grey eyes behind glasses.

Li Syaoran had just kissed Sakura Kinomoto on the lips by accident.

His eyes remained wide as he brought his fingers to his mouth, the sensation still powerful as ever in his mind and on his lips. He watched as an equally stunned Sakura was dragged away by the same man who pushed him to the ground. A perturbed expression placed itself on the guy's serious face while he pulled her away, farther and farther away from Syaoran. What the younger lad had failed to realize or notice was that the silver-haired man wasn't the only witness to his first kiss.

A stern expression found its way on the Chinese woman's face. She had found out something about her peculiar son that afternoon. She rolled the car window up to a close as her other hand's fingers pinched the flesh between her eyes. Her son was growing up, it seems. She wasn't so sure if she liked it.

* * *

**A/N: **Please don't forget to review. Enjoy the next chapters; they might be or might not be coming soon. We'll see :)


	7. Memories

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Six-

He remembered it all too well. He found himself sprawled on his bed again as he recounted the events that transpired that afternoon. He was there. He was _actually_ there. At that moment, he was there. Syaoran placed his fingers on his lips again as he continued to reminisce about his first kiss. It seemed like it had been so long ago, but the fact that it wasn't made it all the more unbelievable.

"Unbelievable," he whispered to himself. And then he got up on his mattress, arms spread out as he yelled it again, "Unbelievable!" He dived into bed afterwards, not knowing if he should smile or show a shocked expression or make kissy noises while puckering his lips. Was she thinking about it too?

He was so happy.

And just yesterday, he felt his heart crumble into a million pieces as she gave the cookies to the silver-haired man. How great is it that the heart can heal so easily? It took everything in him not to run to Sakura's house. It almost was unbearable. He had so many questions to ask. But most of all, he wanted to apologize no matter how happy he was. He knew that she didn't mean to kiss him on the lips anyway. She probably disliked him for what happened. The silver-haired man may have pushed him to the ground, but he was also an instrument for him to have had been able to kiss Sakura on the lips. Syaoran didn't know if he should be thankful to him or not.

But while our male protagonist is having his share of 'unbelievable' bliss, our female protagonist was having confusion dumped on her in all forms.

She stared at Yukito as he forcefully made her sit opposite him in the small burger joint they found themselves in.

There was nothing to be said. Yet, all things had to be said.

Yukito looked at the menu, a frown placed on his handsome face.

"What are you ordering?" it was Sakura who broke the silence.

He closed his eyes momentarily, but it felt like a long time when he did so. "Please tell me what just happened between you and that boy." There was an edge to his voice as he asked this while he continued pretending to stare at the menu.

Sakura observed him, having no idea if she should be confused or indifferent; with the latter what she was feeling at the moment. "We… Syaoran asked if he could kiss me and I said yes."

The older man before her appeared startled as she said this before finally stopping to act like he was still looking at the menu. "Do you lo…" he paused for a while, "do you like him?"

"I don't know." There was no hesitation whatsoever with her answer.

Yukito furrowed his eyebrows, even more puzzled. "You don't know, and yet you let him kiss you?"

"He asked if I think that I could have feelings for him, and that if he could kiss me on the cheek if I think that I could."

"…You like him, don't you?" a grim expression on his face can be seen.

"I don't know. But I think I could."

"…"

"I don't understand why this should be bothering you when you don't even like me at all." She gazed at nothing in particular, not troubling herself to look at the menu.

"That's… not true." Yukito looked solemn as he rolled up his sleeves and rested his elbows on the table. "That's not true at all."

It was Sakura's turn to furrow her eyebrows as she looked at him questioningly. "But you said… and you've always rejected me so…"

A long sigh emanated from his lips. "I've always liked you, you know." There was a short pause before he continued. "You were the one who showed me what to be passionate about most, after all."

"… Passionate… baking?"

"Before you handed me that letter four years ago, I already liked you."

_He remembers the letter? _She thought to herself as she fiddled with the fringed ends of the white and red chequered table cloth.

"You were the first one I asked to try my baking, and you said that I should pursue baking." He was contemplative as he said this, eyes looking down as he confessed, "You said it after tasting my cookies. I would wait every afternoon near the gates of your school since that time you told me to go through with baking to give you some more of my pastries, but I was too ashamed to do so."

"Ashamed?"

He nodded. "You were seven years younger than me, after all. I couldn't muster the courage to return your feelings with the entire stigma involved."

Sakura reflected on this for a time, her hands placed firmly on her lap. "I could have…"

He looked up the same second she did, their eyes meeting for the first time that night.

"… I could have loved you forever," she finished her statement.

A knowing sullen look ran across his features. "I let what others might think come before my feelings, and _that _I'm ashamed about most. Even to this day..." he took his time before he started to talk again. "I'm not asking you to like me anymore. And I apologize for what I did earlier. It was an immature thing to do. I just… I was just threatened that you would love someone else. It's a selfish thing to say, but I still like you and liking someone can make people do stupid, unnecessary things."

She remembered all of the things Syaoran had done, and grinned wistfully at how some of them were quite idiotic, and very much unnecessary. She wondered what he was doing at the moment, shortly forgetting that Yukito had just confessed to her.

"You're… probably thinking about him, aren't you?"

She met Yukito's eyes again, a bit startled.

"You're probably thinking about that boy," he gave a half-hearted smile to betray the sadness that could overwhelm him any second. "Well, it's just as good that way." His mouth looked like a tight line as he pursed his lips together before taking a deep breath that he let go right away. "I'm going back to Paris after all."

"Paris?"

He nodded. "That's where my dream is anyway."

"When are you going?"

"I don't think that you should know." Another strained smile could be seen on Yukito's face. "What I think you should know is when I'll be coming back from there."

"Why's that?"

"Because that's the time I won't lose."

"I…"

"I'll definitely come back for you. Once I'm a good enough pastry chef, I'll come back and won't lose to anyone."

* * *

Syaoran went down the stairs towards the dining area, half-dazed. It was late and his mother had invited him to eat dinner with her, which was very uncharacteristic of her. He didn't think much of it despite its very much being out of character for his mother. They usually ate separately since she came home at odd hours.

Yelan Li stopped pacing back and forth as soon as her son came into the room. The dining area was very lavish, as expected of the older woman's taste. The chairs were of lacquered carved wood, and so was the table. Three chandeliers lit up the place, while candelabra adorned the long table.

"I called you thrice to eat. What made you late?"

He snapped out of his reverie upon hearing his mother's voice. "I was just daydreaming."

"In your own world again, I see."

He nodded, not taking notice of how Yelan seemed like she was deep in thought as she said her words.

A long silence echoed throughout the room, but it didn't faze the two one bit, with both being absorbed in their own minds.

"I saw you today," she said finally. "I saw you at the park."

He widened his eyes, knowing now that her mother had witnessed such a private event of his life. She was a nosy mother, he knew this, but he still liked to have his secrets. He was flabbergasted. "Mom…!"

"Don't use that tone, young man." Her left eye twitched at how high the pitch of his voice was as he whined and stuttered. "Now, do tell me what she is to you. I'd like to know what my oldest son is up to, especially since you haven't been going to Dr Chan these past few weeks."

"I… I like her!"

She frowned. She didn't want her son to grow up so soon. "You _like _Sakura Kinomoto." It was evident, anyway; he had kissed her after all. Her darling little boy was growing up. Sure, this darling boy of hers got drunk before, but kissing girls was an entirely different story. "Just like you _like_ all of your other gadgets and your pet fish?"

He ignored the fact that his mother strangely knew Sakura's name. "It's not like that."

"You'll get tired of her sooner or later."

"She is neither a pet nor a gadget."

Yelan's left eye twitched again. It was a strange habit, but it was how she tried to restrain herself from showing any emotion other than being stoic.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Syaoran slumped against the back of his chair. "She probably hates me now."

"Why would she hate you?"

He blushed as he got up from his seat. "Please excuse me." And then he dashed towards the stairs up to his room, leaving a pensive Yelan behind. She wouldn't stop it at their conversation's end, though. She leisurely drew her chair back and walked towards her son's room.

A gentle knock could be heard as Syaoran sat on his bed. The older woman came in even if she knew she was uninvited. "Here." She handed out a neatly folded piece of paper. He took it hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"What you need to grow up." She flinched discreetly, still hating the idea of what she just did. She then left the room hurriedly; her graceful form retreating as he looked at the folded paper. He unfolded it to find what looked like a phone number with his crush's name written below it.

He counted the number of times he dialed the digits, dropping it each time she picked up. It would be his fourth time dialing before he found his courage.

"Hello?" It was undoubtedly Sakura's voice.

"Umm… Hello."

"Who is this?"

"It's…" he almost forgot his name. "Syaoli… I mean… Li… Syaoran."

He could hear her hold her breath before quietly exhaling. "Oh, hello Syaoran."

"Umm…I… I w-would just like to a-apologize for what happened earlier." His stuttering lessened slightly, but he still winced at how much his voice sounded different.

She held her breath and exhaled again as she responded. "Please don't be sorry."

Did that mean she didn't mind their kiss at all? "I…" he started.

"I mean…" she said at about the same time he spoke.

He snorted involuntarily, giddy with her answer. "Oh, sorry about… ha, ha… I apologize for that... sound." Syaoran was getting more conscious of his voice and words while he noticed how he almost didn't stutter with that last sentence.

"I don't mind it at all." She meant both the kiss and the fact that he just snorted.

"Well, umm… yeah, that's a… a… relief."

"Ha, ha…"

"Ha, ha, ha…"

There was a moment's pause as they exchanged stiff laughs.

"Can I…" he stammered shortly, "Can I give you something the next time I see you?" he hoped he could see her again.

"What is it?"

"It's a… ah! I actually don't know yet…" he let his shoulders drop. He really didn't know what it is, but he wanted to give her something.

"Well then, I'll be sure to be surprised. I'll see you then."

He could almost sense a smile coming from her. A goofy grin placed itself on his boyish features. "Yes!"

Syaoran ended the call enthusiastically. When she said that she'll be sure she'd be surprised, it meant that he could see her again. He was scared that she might not want to see him again, but he was wrong. It was… unbelievable.

* * *

There was no need to do so, but Sakura Kinomoto took the time to hear the beeping of the phone as her call with a certain peculiar boy came to an end. She couldn't help but beam to herself as she finally put her phone down.

Her thoughts and feelings have been less clear, now that she knew how Yukito felt about her. It was a confusing night, so she was glad that Syaoran had called her. How he got to know her number, she didn't bother to ask. It didn't matter that much anyway.

She let her thoughts wander off for a second, relieved that she wouldn't be thinking of Yukito's confession for a while. She jolted for a moment once she heard her phone ring again. "Hello?"

"Hello! Have you decided?" It was her best friend Tomoyo on the other line.

"Decided on what?"

"On what to carve for the school festival! You've only got two days left, you know." She was talking about the ice-carving event they had for their high school. It was a school tradition held every year and Sakura was in charge of designing the ice sculpture their class would make.

"Oh…" she glanced at the paper she was doodling on for quite some time. "I'm not yet finished with the sketch, but I'll be sure to do it tonight."

"That's good. Well, this year they are allowing for us to invite other people who may be able to help with carving the sculptures, so that's something to think about, huh? I was going to ask Eriol if he could come, but it looks like he's too busy. So that's a bummer."

"Other people, huh?" she wondered if it would be too weird to invite Syaoran. But then again, the boy himself was strange, so it wouldn't be too out of the blue, right?

"Well, that's all I wanted to talk about. Have a good night!"

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

They put their phones down in unison, as they would always do. Sakura had even more things to think about tonight.

* * *

Syaoran placed a question mark at the end of the sentence he wrote. It was something akin to what girls in their early teens would do, but he wrote a letter for her anyway. He rummaged through his study table's drawers, hoping that their maids didn't throw away his drawing. When he had first met Sakura, he had sketched a few strawberries and he wanted to show her that memory by including it with the letter he penned.

"Let's see… ah! Found it!"

He happily put both pieces of paper in an envelope.

He couldn't sleep until the next day came by, and before he knew it, it was morning already.

He neatly tucked the letter in his school bag, careful not to wrinkle it in the process. This morning would be a long one, he thought to himself. He was excited to see her.

True enough, the day went along as slow as it could. Every subject seemed to drag on for hours and hours, but even then, it was three in the afternoon in the blink of an eye.

The school bell rang to dismiss the students and when Syaoran was just about to bolt out of the class, a slant-eyed boy blocked his way.

"Dude!"

"Takashi, get out of the way! I'm in a hurry!"

"We haven't seen each other in so long and that's what you tell me?" Takashi frowned at him, arms crossed against his chest. "Well, whatever. Listen: I've got something to tell you about that blonde I set you up with before." He dragged a visibly annoyed Syaoran out of the classroom, ready to expose the truth about Blondie.

A male high school student about the same age as Syaoran snuck in to the room, unsuspected. He adjusted his eye glasses as he spotted Syaoran's bag sitting on the chair assigned for him. The unidentified lad casually took it so not to be doubted for his actions. He returned it to the exact position after fiddling with it and snuck out of the room in the same manner as he went in.

"…She's actually Eriol's stepmom! Can you believe it?!" Takashi shook a still-irritated Syaoran to emphasize the enormity of his news, his strange accent thick.

"It's big news, alright! But I really have to go now! I'll talk to you later!" the brown-haired boy ducked out of Takashi's way to go back into the room to get his bag. His best friend followed him, despite the fact that he knew Syaoran didn't want him to.

"You don't understand, this means…"

A dripping sound could be heard as Syaoran took his bag. A foul smell accompanied the wet drops of liquid coming out of it.

Someone had just dumped toilet water into his bag.

Bewildered, the odd lad dropped it to the ground, spilling more of the liquid out of the bag.

"What the hell!" Takashi inspected the item; eyes wide if that could be possible. "Looks like those bullies strike again! How come we never catch them?" he looked at Syaoran, surprised that he appeared very much affected by what just happened. The boy with amber eyes never made the bullying get to him since he was used to it as far as Takashi knew. It was one of the traits that his lucky buddy had that made him admire him. "Are you okay?"

"No." Syaoran answered blankly, looking at the ruined contents of his bag.

"You can always get a copy of my notes, right? Don't let them get to you, man. Remember when we tried to confront the whole class before? It backfired so—and anyway, college is just around…"

"It's ruined."

"Your notes? Well, you don't take notes that much anyway so…"

"It's not that."

"Well then, what is it? What got ruined?"

"…A memory."

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto searched her coat's pockets as her phone rang. She wasn't the most organized person so she had to go through several pieces of crumpled papers and pens before she got to her mobile. "Hello?"

"H-hi…"

A small smile graced her lips as she found out that it was Syaoran on the other end. "Hi."

"Um… you see… I've… it's gone."

"What's gone?" she asked, her other hand stuffing the papers and pens back into her pockets.

"I couldn't give anything to you today after all."

She frowned as she detected the unhappiness in his voice. She couldn't help but worry as he continued speaking, evidently trying to mask his disappointment.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

"No, really, I am." There was a slight pause as he gathered his thoughts. It seemed like he was hesitant to say anything more before he added, "It was a remembrance that can't be taken back."

She thought about this for a while, careful to choose her words. "Well then, maybe we should create more memories to replace it."

Another pause as he seemed to think to himself some more. "More memories? Is it… is it fine?"

She nodded enthusiastically even though she couldn't be seen. "Of course!"

"More memories… huh?" he chuckled with glee.

"Tomorrow…" she started.

"Tomorrow…?"

"Tomorrow our school is going to have an event. We're carving ice sculptures. I was wondering if you would like to go as well."

She could hear a muffled "yes" from the other line as he seemed to suppress himself from laughing out loud with elation.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow at around four. Seijou high school is near the café we go to so it shouldn't be too hard to look for it. You can call me if you get lost."

"S-see you…"

And that was how his eventful afternoon went. It wasn't so bad that he lost a good memory after all, since he could replace it with even better ones.

* * *

**A/N:** Please don't forget to review afterwards. I hope you got to enjoy the previous few chapters :)


	8. Sculptures and Family Jewels

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Seven-

Footsteps could be heard against the mush of the snow as Sakura Kinomoto ran eagerly towards the school gate. That day would be the school's ice sculpting festival, and everyone else was filled with excitement as well so she wasn't afraid to show her enthusiasm. While everyone other than her was anticipating the sculpting event, she was anticipating a boy's arrival. Her best friend trailed behind her. They both knew that there was a reason why Sakura was in the track and field team and Tomoyo could barely make it through their Physical Education classes.

"Sakura! Wait up! And please tell me who it is we're going to fetch! I'm getting out of breath!" Tomoto panted as she struggled to go through with her words.

Sakura halted as soon as she reached the school gate. Sure enough, the brown-haired boy was waiting there, looking dazedly at the snow. "Syaoran!" she waved her right hand up in the air to catch his attention.

He looked up as if snapping out of a reverie, his enchanting eyes of molten lava widening like he had just realized that he was of this world. "H-hi…"

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not at all. And the snow kept me company anyway." He grinned sheepishly.

Sakura neared him as Tomoyo lagged behind her, an expression of confusion on her delicate features. "He's the boy you invited?"

"Oh, yeah, Tomoyo meet Syaoran; Syaoran meet Tomoyo." The green-eyed lass introduced them to one another, oblivious to the shocked faces of the two.

"I think… we've met before." Syaoran mumbled, shaking Tomoyo's hand shyly.

"It's a good thing you're not bowing now." Tomoyo joked, her smile not faltering. He was still as entertaining as when she had first met him.

"Lookie, lookie! Sakura, who's your friend?" a girl with light brown hair up in pigtails asked, amused.

"Oh, Chiharu, meet Syaoran. He's the boy I met at the café I was talking about."

Syaoran glanced at Sakura's direction, surprised that he had been mentioned by her to her classmates before shifting his focus to her friend. "It's n-nice to meet you Chiharu." He was still not accustomed to talking to other people, but he would have to get used to it. Sakura proved to be quite the popular girl as they stopped every now and then when she would say hello to her friends as they went to her classroom.

"Who's that, Sakura?" another female classmate with darker brown hair asked. Her curly hair was placed high in a ponytail and her thick eyebrows shot up with curiosity upon seeing Syaoran. The other girls around her started to take an interest on the clumsy boy as well, and soon enough they surrounded the poor lad.

"M-my name's Li Syaoran."

"Lee? Like Bruce Lee?" One of the chubbier girls asked.

"Huh? Um… no, Li is spelled with an 'I' instead of…"

"You're cute! He's cute! Can we borrow him for a while, Sakura?" Another girl, this time thinner with a sharp nose and freckles, asked. She clearly took a liking to the brown-haired boy as she hauled him away from Sakura. The other girls followed suit, and before he knew it, he was whisked out of Sakura's reach.

Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times. Sure, the lad she met at the café was cute, but she hadn't realized that he had much of an effect to the female population. A feeling started to make her frown slightly with it being so foreign. "Well, I'll just help with the… ice." She grumbled to a distracted Syaoran. He evidently wouldn't be able to hear her with his new acquaintances in tow.

Tomoyo looked at the scene before her, a little shocked at how oblivious her former client was. She smacked the side of her head with her right hand's palm before dragging a disorderedly-minded Syaoran to the corner of the classroom, paying no attention to the protests of the other girls. "What are you doing?"

Still lightheaded from the amount of attention he got, Syaoran staggered to face Tomoyo. "I was g-going to help but…"

"You do know that she really didn't invite you to 'help' right?"

"Wha…?"

The raven-haired lass sighed dramatically, the back of her left hand resting on her forehead as she did so. "Ah, young love." She then placed both hands on Syaoran's shoulders, making him flinch at the sudden contact. "You do know as well that you're not the only one interested in her, right?" she cocked her head towards the direction where Sakura was staying, her green-eyed friend talking to a significantly taller guy with large dark brown eyes and even darker ebon hair. The said guy moved closer to Sakura, making her appear uneasy as he did so.

"Does he like her?"

"Why don't you go ask?" Tomoyo questioned rhetorically, never expecting Syaoran to do so. Her surprise can only be imagined as the odd boy _did_ go towards the taller male, prodding him at the back to get his attention.

"What do you want?" he was visibly not pleased with Syaoran nudging him.

"Do you like Sakura?" The brown-haired boy asked innocently, his eyes never leaving the other one's pair. The one he asked had an identification card with the name 'Mori Miyazaki' printed on it pinned lopsidedly on his uniform.

The one named Mori raised an eyebrow at him. "What's it to you?"

"Sakura doesn't look very comfortable near you, so please take a few steps back."

"That's not up to you to decide now, is it?" Mori placed an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "She doesn't look very uncomfortable to me. And who do you think you are, anyway? You're not even from around here."

"Actually, I am very much uncomfortable." Sakura said, getting the attention of both boys. "I'd appreciate it if you stop touching me," she continued, pushing away Mori.

Said guy looked embarrassed for a while before he did what he was told and then faced Syaoran threateningly. "Are you even her boyfriend?"

"No."

"Then what the hell are you trying to pull off?"

"I'm not trying to pull off anything. I just asked you to back off a little since Sakura obviously doesn't want your hands touching her." Syaoran was getting more frustrated at the moment. He hated trouble, but the guy was asking for it. Mori Miyazaki then shoves him, the force enough to make Syaoran take a few steps back.

"Are you provoking me? I really don't want to fight." He thanked the high heavens that he wasn't stuttering for he was quite nervous at the moment.

Mori pushed him again. "What are you going to do now, huh?"

"Nothing."

That did it. An infuriated Mori punches him in the face, making him fall down to the floor of the classroom. A motivated Syaoran instinctively kicks him in the family jewels as he got closer, making him wince in pain.

"That was my balls, you idiot!"

"You think I don't know that?"

"Come here, you stupid little…"

"Stop it this instant." An elderly woman wearing a white coat came in the room, a worried Chiharu close behind. She had luckily called the school nurse as soon as Mori started to shove Syaoran around. "Follow me."

The two did as they were told, the other (taller) one significantly limping.

* * *

A just attended-to Li Syaoran bowed fervently to the school nurse, hands placed rigidly on either side. "I would like to apologize for what happened earlier."

The nurse grumbled back to let him know that she heard him before leaving the clinic, her hands carrying a few folders with her as she did so. "Be sure to not cause any more trouble, young man. I'll be right back."

He then stares at the wall clock placed up on the wall before him. It read thirty minutes past five. He had been there for a good hour. There would be a lot of explaining to do to his mother tonight. He then shifted his gaze towards the crack below the wall clock.

He started to imagine a galaxy where a virgin aptly named 'Purity' had just passed a law on a planet to do her bidding. Every time one of her minions would disobey her, she would crack their skulls open with her heart-shaped axe. When she decides to spare one of her minions because he was very cunning and handsome, her people protested. They were just about to have her exiled when Syaoran heard a soft knock on the office's door.

"Hello." It was Sakura.

She cautiously went into the room, a concerned look on her face. "How are you doing?"

Syaoran looked up to the ceiling as if deep in thought. "Well, I could do better."

She sat beside him, making him stiffen in the process of doing so. "That's true." She examined the small cut above his eyebrow, where he had been hit. And then she reached out to gently touch the bruise below the scar. He noticeably stiffened even more as he felt her fingers graze through his bruise. "I wish he hadn't done that." And then she smiled at him, making all sense seem lost.

"I p-probably look s-silly with this bruise." He tried with great difficulty not to stare at her.

She pouted at what he said. "I don't think so. You're still handsome as it is."

Startled, he looks at her again. "How can you say that? You're too beautiful to even hand out compliments…"

Sakura Kinomoto blinks at the statement, her face reddening. "Umm… thanks…" She then laughs nervously, afraid that the redness on her face would worsen if she didn't let out a sound.

A smitten Syaoran slowly nears himself towards Sakura, never minding the pain of his bruise anymore as he reached out to gently hug her. "I'm sorry about what happened…"

She froze at her position, hands playing with each other on her lap. "I-it's not your fault. I-it's M-Mori's, anyway." It was her turn to stutter. She felt like she could melt at any moment. He was like quicksand as he drew her in, sweeping her thoughts away.

"S-sorry…" he immediately releases her upon realizing what he had just done, intertwining his hands at his back to refrain himself from touching her again. "I hadn't realized…"

"Ahem!"

They looked up to see an exasperated elderly school nurse.

Perhaps it was time to go home.

They both chuckled awkwardly.

Sakura took his hand as they exited the school nurse's territory, blushing even more as she did the act. He tightens his hold on hers. She decided she liked it.

It was a new memory he could cherish.

* * *

Syaoran had come home to an empty house, which he was grateful for. His mother had gone to attend to some important business and she'd be away for a few days. That gave him enough time to heal his bruise and not have to explain anything to her.

"Ah!"

Ah. He had forgotten to call Sakura to tell her good night. He looked at the clock nearest to him. It was fifteen minutes past ten. He hoped she was still up, but decided to message her instead of calling just to be sure that he wasn't disturbing her.

Now, Li Syaoran hated text messaging people. He found them too petty and hard to do, what, with his clumsiness. "Have a good night's sleep," he whispered to himself as he typed out the words. Should he put in a few smileys? He didn't know, so what he did was choose the icons that he found were cute enough to send to her. Those smileys proved to be quite a lot, totalling eleven with notable ones of a baby giraffe's head suckling onto a pacifier, a crescent moon whistling, and a monkey's face glaring at the screen. He didn't mind. 'Cute deserved cute' was his logic behind it.

As he was about to study for a test the following day, he was surprised to see a message from none other than Sakura Kinomoto. "Thank you. I like the baby giraffe icon the most. You have a good night's sleep too."

"No smiley?" he muttered to himself. Perhaps people didn't use that much smileys? He really was behind the trend. He was lost in thought once again before he heard his mobile beep, signalling that he had another text message. "I had fun today. Sorry about Mori."

He tried suppressing a giggle as he typed out clumsily: "Can I csll ui?" there were many typos, but he didn't know how to correct them, so he just sent it to her.

She must have understood because she replied a short "yes". He was happy to see a smiley face with the message.

"Bang, bang!" He acted like he was able to shoot imaginary bull's eyes as he quickly dialled her phone number. He already knew it by heart since he stared at it long enough the first time he tried calling her.

A few rings could be heard until she finally answered her mobile. "Hi Syaoran!"

"Hello… it's a bit ch-chilly, isn't i-it?" He stuttered his way through the question. He was horrible at speaking when he was nervous.

"It is. I hope it doesn't get colder than it already is."

"Y-yes…"

"Tomoyo said earlier that there might be a snowstorm in the coming weeks. I hope that isn't true."

"T-Tomoyo's well-informed a-about the weather, huh? Ha, ha…" He smacked himself mentally. What he said wasn't funny at all so he wondered why he had to laugh. She was probably wondering too. "Sorry f-for laughing."

"I don't mind."

"Th-thanks." Syaoran closed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath. _Relax. _He was still so anxious around her; he couldn't help but keep on stammering.

"You're welcome."

"Um… there's…" he started.

"Yes?"

"I'd like…"

"Hmm?"

"If it's not too much to ask," he bit his lip. _It's now or never, silly beaver!_ But then he put down his phone. He was too tense, please understand!

He quickly dialled her number again, though. "Sorry, I panicked."

She laughed shortly. "It's okay. What were you trying to say earlier?"

He took another deep breath. "Sakura Kinomoto…"

"Yes?"

"Sakura Kinomoto…"

"…Yes?"

"Sakura Kinomoto, please go out with me!"

There was a short pause before she said a "Yes."

Li Syaoran waited for what she would say next, thinking that her 'yes' was another goading from her for him to continue. "W-was that a 'yes'?"

"Yes, that was a yes." She giggled again, giddiness making her feel like she could burst out in song any time soon. She was able to control it, thankfully. "Good night."

"Good night!"

"Oh, and Syaoran?"

"Yes?!"

"… Nothing. I'll see you soon."

* * *

"What to do now…" he mumbled to himself, whistling a happy tune afterwards. The awareness that Sakura held his hand for the first time made him giddy all over again. "Milkin' the cereal… heh, heh, heh… cereal killer." Yes, cereal killer. It was a bad quip, but he evidently didn't care. Not only did he have the house to himself and could eat cereal for dinner, he also gets to be with Sakura the whole afternoon for their date! When the date would be, he didn't know. But that was fine; the suspense kept him on his toes.

Just when he was about to take his first bite of the sugary treat, the doorbell rang. He answered it, only to find Takashi beaming at him.

"Yellow!"

"Yellow?"

"Hello!" he invited himself into the boy's house, looking around him impressively. "This house of yours never fails to astound me, man. Everything's just so big! Even the jars are big!" He was referring to the large vases Syaoran's mother liked to collect from China. "It's like I ate some of them mushrooms from Alice in Wonderland to make me tiny!"

"Didn't the mushrooms make her bigger?"

"Whatever, dude. Trippy's trippy all the way around." Takashi rotated his wrist as he stuck out a finger, making it appear like he was drawing imaginary circles in the air.

"Now you sound like a hippie from the seventies."

"I can never choose my accent. Anyway, I've done some thinking."

"About?" Syaoran slumped into a chair in the living room, his cereal in the kitchen long forgotten. It was soggy by then anyway so he didn't bother to eat it anymore.

"About those bullying issues of yours." Takashi made himself comfortable as he sat on one of the sofas in the area.

"I thought you'd know by now that that doesn't bother me anymore."

"Well, it bothers me!" The slant-eyed boy proclaimed, getting up from his seat.

"Sit down, _you're_ bothering me." Syaoran mumbled loud enough for his friend to hear. Takashi did as he was told.

"I'm telling you, being a good buddy of yours, it's not right that they keep on doing all those things to you. It just ain't right!"

"The last time we tried to confront the class, the bullying just got worse so I'm not doing that again."

"Well, that's what I thought! But, I talked to Eriol for a second time and he said he can help us for a good price."

"My mom won't be around for a few days so I won't have the money to pay him."

"Whoever said that you're going to pay him? Leave it to me!"

There was a short silence between the two as Syaoran furrowed his eyebrows with displeasure. "Takashi, you're having enough problems with money as it is, what, with all your online 'dates' and such."

"Think of it as a Christmas gift!"

"That wouldn't be something I'd want!" Syaoran sat straight in his chair, slightly bending forward while wrapping his arms around his legs after a time. "I'd like it more if you were happily dating someone you actually _like_, not those girls you find online."

Takashi frowned at the sentence, his playful disposition gone for the moment. "I'd want that too, you know. But who could ever take a liking someone to like me?"

"Lots of girls!"

"I'm not you." His strange accent seemed to disappear at the statement. "I'm not good-looking. Aside from that, I'm not very smart and…"

"Do you think all girls are that superficial?" Syaoran stood up from his position, angrily aiming his glare towards his friend. "You're a great guy, Takashi. Don't settle for someone you know you'd never like."

They then stared at each other's eyes. That was before they started laughing out loud.

"Man, that was some serious girly talk!" Takashi panted in between gasps of glee. "I better go before you kick my balls into oblivion like that Mori dude's."

"Yeah, you'd better!" Syaoran waved goodbye to the slant-eyed boy as they got to the door. Despite the chuckles, they both knew that what they discussed was serious. But then again, boys will be boys. "Don't let the snow slow you down on the way home!" Takashi lived nearby, so he preferred to walk home whenever he went to Syaoran's place.

"Gotcha!" Takashi saluted his pal, his jokingly happy nature back to normal as he ambled away.

* * *

**A/N: **Review, please? :D


	9. Dating Awkward Fish

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Eight-

It would have been a good two weeks before they could be able to go out on their first date. Throughout those two weeks, they didn't meet up that much since their midterms were at their climax and Syaoran had vowed that he wouldn't go out with her if he didn't make it to the top five. True enough, he did. Motivation can make people do extraordinary things.

He fiddled with the feed for his pet fish, a thing he found himself making into a habit ever since a certain call happened with Dr Chan, his psychiatrist. "Where would you like to go?" he asked Sakura, who was on the other line.

"Hmm… honestly, this is my first date with anyone else so it's hard to decide."

Did it have to be special? He didn't know how to make it so, and this frustrated him. He wanted to take her to a cruise around the world, but he knew that that was out of the question.

"Why don't we just see where we could go tomorrow? I think that would be better than pressuring ourselves to think about it now."

"Okay." They were so used to meeting at the café, they didn't know where else to go. Syaoran disliked movie theatres while expensive restaurants made Sakura self-conscious. It seemed like the best option really was to just go with the flow.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

He sighed as he ended the call. He didn't expect that planning for first dates could be so… uneventful. Did she find him boring? He hoped not.

The next day proved to be an agonizing one. It wasn't magical at all as he had first expected. Everything was just… awkward. Walking was awkward, eating was awkward, talking was awkward, smiling was awkward.

Yet, he wished the day wouldn't end soon. He liked her company too much for him to say goodbye just yet.

"Oh!" Sakura stopped them from walking, her snow boots halting its rhythm of steps that Syaoran had grown to like. "Look, they're having a sale on ticket prices for the aquarium."

The aquarium.

When Syaoran was a kid, he remembered fancying places akin to that since the help would take him there at times, but his mother absolutely abhorred them. The sole reason he was able to keep a small one for himself was because of those fond memories. He wondered what it felt like to be in one again. It wasn't the ideal setting for a first date, but it was better than ambling about, with no particular destination in mind. "That sounds good." They went into the place that read 'Fun Sea' as its name.

* * *

The blue of the light in the aquarium emphasized the contours of his face. She hadn't noticed how sharp his nose is until then and how thin yet well-built he is. He was in between a boy and a man not just in character but in appearance as well. He really was handsome.

She shifted her focus elsewhere upon seeing that he was just about to notice her staring at him.

"They say there're some huge sharks around here. I'd like to see that!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Is it your first time to see the sharks here?"

"It would be my first time to see any of the sea creatures here." He paused before continuing, " My mom doesn't think greatly of places similar to this so I wasn't able to go to aquariums like these that much."

She nodded, listening. She was happy that he was opening up to her, even though he still seemed hesitant about it. "Do you like aquariums?"

"I do. I actually have one in my room, although it's quite small." He admitted shyly.

"I think looking at fishes is very calming."

He smiled in return. She could feel her heart skip a beat at the action. Syaoran pretended to look around before he finally took her hand in his, gingerly intertwining his fingers with hers. Sakura timidly neared him, their distance reduced as she did so. They walked onwards; painfully aware of how close they were to each other now.

"I wonder what it feels like to not be afraid of the water," Sakura thought out loud, hoping that the quiet discomfort in the air would lessen.

"I didn't know you were afraid of water."

"Just the deeper bodies of water… I'm also afraid of snowstorms. Is that odd? Normally, snowstorms shouldn't be so threatening since you'd be indoors anyway, and Tokyo doesn't get them that much."

Syaoran thought for a while before saying "It's not so strange."

"What are you most afraid of?"

He contemplated about what she asked again, his eyebrows furrowed. "I guess I haven't thought of that yet."

"Boys are usually afraid of saying what they're afraid of," she quipped, winking at him. He had to look away at the gesture, afraid that he might burst from her attractiveness.

"I-I guess I could be afraid of confessing what I'm afraid of," he revealed, his eyes gazing at anything but her. He pretended to be deeply fascinated with the clown fish they passed by. "They're really… orange."

"Yes, they are."

"Yeah…"

She looked up at him, as he was a good head taller than she was. "I think it's fascinating that you notice even the smallest details."

"I like making stories out of things I notice, no matter how minute."

She pondered about this for a while before asking if he could give her an example. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Umm…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "Umm… well, when I saw the flowers on the red dress you're wearing today, I thought of a little girl who planted flowers for a living. Every winter, she has no means to feed herself so she works at the shoe factory that her friend's uncle owns instead. The winter of her thirteenth year, the shoe factory had gone bankrupt so she had no means to feed herself and so she wished upon a star that she could find a way to survive…" he trailed off, seeing that they had gone to the end of the tour. "Oh, I guess it's over."

"I wish your story didn't end as well," Sakura pouted, clearly engrossed with the tale he had conjured.

"O-oh… ah! Well, I-I'll try to tell you about my other stories when I think of some." He was glad that she didn't find that quirk of his to be boring. "Thank you for listening." He flashed a dimpled grin at her, not knowing that it made her blush to a shocking degree.

"Th-thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it."

They walked out of the aquarium, filled with excitement as they proceeded to go to the café nearby.

"The coffee here is good, but I have to admit I miss the lattes at the one we always go to," Sakura said, letting her hands warm up around the mug.

"Well, we can go there if you want to."

"Really? But it is a bit far away…"

He considered this for a while before exclaiming, "I can carry you!" a serious look on his face as he offered to do so.

"I… don't think that's necessary." She politely declined; a bit amused that he would even suggest such a thing. "We can just walk."

He nodded, his disappointment showing, causing her to giggle. "I don't think you could have carried me somewhere that far, anyway."

"That's not true, I could have!" he was adamant about it.

"Okay, okay, I apologize."

"It's true! Here, I'll show you!" He was about to carry her before she ran away.

"I'll sprint you instead!"

"That's not fair! You're part of your track team!"

"Well, you can use your longer legs to outrun me then."

Sure enough, Sakura won in the end.

They entered the café, breathless. They didn't race the whole way, but they still got tired from the distance.

"Two lattes?" the lady behind the counter asked, her black hair tied up in a bun, as she always does.

"Yes, please!" Sakura nodded as she proclaimed her approval, pleased that there weren't many people in the coffee shop that day. It was nearing six in the evening and it was a weekend so it might have been expected. The crowd that the coffee shop generated was usually students. "Thank you very much."

* * *

The cool of the night made them shiver as they exited the cozy café. The sound of their boots as they made contact to the snow-covered ground made him smile with ease. He was tired, but he had volunteered to take her home. At the corner of the street nearing her house, he stopped unexpectedly.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly worried.

"I had fun today," he announced unexpectedly.

She seemed to be unfazed by it as she responded "I had fun, too," her arms swinging before she let them rest behind her back as her hands intertwined.

"I…"

"Yes?"

"I was scared that you wouldn't enjoy spending time with me at all so… I-I'm glad that you had fun!" he bowed.

"No need to bow, Syaoran." She tapped his shoulders with her hands briefly to signal him to stand straight.

"Oh, sorry… it's a habit."

"I don't mind," she smiled at him.

There was a pause as he seemed to consider something.

"I'd…"

"Yes?"

"I'd like…"

"You'd like…?"

"I'd like to kiss you, if that's okay!"

She widened her eyes at the statement, her cheeks reddening. "Oh… umm…"

"It… it wouldn't mean that you like me right away, it's just…" he closed his eyes momentarily before opening them, "I'd really like to kiss you…" he whispered, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

There was a short silence that seemed like an eternity before she spoke to answer him.

"Just… just this once, okay?" she mumbled shyly.

He looked up to her, gulping visibly as he bowed again. "Y-yes!"

* * *

They stood uneasily in the snow as Syaoran neared his face to hers, and she could feel the puffs of pixies again. The warmth of his breath upon her nose made her tremble unexpectedly. He held her closer, thinking that it was because she was cold. But it wasn't that. It wouldn't be her first kiss, but it would also be her first kiss. It was a complicated thing.

"I-is it really okay?" he asked, hoping that the clumsiness of the moment would end with that one swept motion of a kiss.

She nodded in return, her breathing becoming uneven. Their eyes were out of focus as they stared at each other. The gravity was too much.

"It's… it's fine."

The boy with amber eyes bit his lower lip before releasing it, nearing his face to hers even more. She was such a fragile thing; this _moment_ was such a fragile thing that he didn't want to break it by moving faster than he was supposed to, afraid that he might shatter it.

"Okay, then… here goes," he said almost inaudibly.

He angled his head to the right and slowly closed his eyes, his eye fluttering beneath his eyelids as he prepared to close the gap between them. He felt like he was dreaming. She was such so precious. He wished she could stay in his arms forever.

And then, it happened.

The moment was short, fleeting. They could feel the softness of each other as their lips met; as she leaned closer to him. Small clouds of cold air could be seen as they breathed hastily once they separated from one another. She smiled; he briefly pressed his lips together to savour the moment. He let her remain in his arms before she said a shy "goodbye" and he said a sheepish "goodnight" in return. First dates, after all, were magical in the end.

…Well, that is, until a certain odd boy decides to talk yet again.

"Umm…!"

"What is it?"

"Is it… possible that I lo…"

"You…?"

"Is it possible that I love you already?"

A startled Sakura looked at the bewildered Syaoran, who just realized what he had said. Feeling his heart beat too fast that he could erupt any minute, he runs away from a now bemused Sakura to go home on her own.

He ceased running after quite some time, jogging the last few steps before deciding to call her.

She didn't pick up.

Panicked, he runs back towards her house, afraid that she really might hate him.

"What the hell was I thinking? I have to apologize!" he gasped as he spoke to himself, panting as he exhausted himself by sprinting again.

A familiar figure could be seen outside of the Kinomoto household.

It was Sakura.

He nears her, a concerned look on his boyishly charming face. "Are you doing okay in the cold?"

She looks up, surprised by his coming back so soon. "I am, I would just like to be alone for now."

The peculiar lad nods to this, understanding that she wouldn't want him to be around, that is, until she reached out to him before he could exit the area.

"I meant alone with you."

* * *

The two didn't talk about anything in particular that night. A few laughs could be heard here and there, a few sighs of longing. But never anything serious could be brought up, not even Syaoran's odd confession of romantic intention.

"Why were you outside just now?" he asked.

"Well… I have been thinking a lot." She glances at his direction, not really meeting his eyes. She was afraid that she might lose her words if she did. "What do you think of most?"

He looked upwards from left to right, his bottom lip sticking out as he thought deeply. "I guess I… think about the little things the most." He was referring to the tales he liked to make up. "Also, I think of you, of course." He takes a deep breath before adding, "I really am sorry for running away earlier. That was uncalled for."

"I don't mind."

He nodded with appreciation. "How about you…? What do you think of most?"

"Hmm…" she exhaled through her nose. "Well, just now, I was thinking of you saying that you were too weird. You know, when we were in the bakery."

"…Oh." He remembered it quite clearly.

"I think you're weird."

"Oh…" his shoulders visibly dropped as she said this.

"I think that's why I like you most, though."

He blinked a few times at the statement. Did she just confess to him? He had to ask. "Did you…"

A very red Sakura Kinomoto dashed towards her house's front door after squeaking her goodbye. This time, it was her turn to leave behind a shocked Li Syaoran.

* * *

An irritated Yelan Li paced back and forth by the front door in her usual habit of doing so. It was already ten in the evening and her son had not gone home yet. What was worse was that he had classes the next day.

"Where on Earth is that boy?" she scowled at the idea that he might be running off with the same girl he was so preoccupied with lately.

A clicking sound signalled that Syaoran had just entered the house.

"Where were you this late?" she asked sternly, her hands on her hips.

"Oh. Good evening, mother." He bowed.

"Even though you greet me that respectfully, you are not winning any favours from me, young man." She softened a little bit after saying so. She was obviously taken aback by his actions.

"I was out."

"I can see that, but it's a Sunday night! You know you have classes tomorrow so why stay out until night?"

"I apologize." He bowed again.

"Don't think that you are getting on my good side with your being formal. You know where to find me." She meant that they would need to talk in the usual room.

As his mother continued to lecture him about his potential to be a street hoodlum and his inevitable road down to vandalism, he couldn't help but only think about one thing, a lone question ringing in his mind: Did Sakura Kinomoto just confess to him?

* * *

A young woman with dark hair held up in two buns exited the airport, an expression that conveyed an arrogant readiness set on her features. It was time to do business very soon.


	10. Engaging Love Hotels

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Nine-

She looked through the traffic lights, an expression of impatience on her face. Today was the day she would finally get to see her cousin (although she insists they aren't related by blood) and she didn't want something as petty as a stoplight preventing her from seeing him at that very moment. Her red eyes, an indication that she was truly of Li descent, scanned the Tokyo crowd. If she ran, would she be there quicker? The traffic was insufferable.

"Can't your stupid ass go any faster?" she barked at the driver, her broken Japanese making her seem like an impatient tourist—which, no matter how much she denies it, is exactly what she is. The fact that she was also bloated from too much airline food also added to her stress. She didn't want to be seen at that state, and it didn't help that she was wearing a tight gold cheongsam dress. The garb was shockingly traditional-looking, but this didn't stop her from wearing it. "It's been an hour and we're not even close yet!" she yelled, crossing her arms against her chest in a huff. "And can you turn up the heat? I'm freezing here!" Despite the fact that it was February and nearing springtime already, it was cold because it was still winter after all.

While the temperamental Li cousin was having her moment, Syaoran was left in his room, unsuspecting of what—rather, who— was about to come. He was much too busy thinking about his crush. He spelled out Sakura's name in the air, followed by the question ringing in his mind: "Do you like me?"

He changed his position on his bed, lying on his stomach instead of on his back. It had been nine weeks since he met Sakura. They haven't met in one. He still went to the café they frequented every day, but she was nowhere to be found. When he called her on his mobile, she would always say that she was busy. "Are you avoiding me?" he spelled it in the air again, wondering if the message could be sent to her by the wind.

"What are you doing?"

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother, who just burst through his bedroom door.

"I was… doing nothing in particular."

It didn't matter what his response would be, since his mother quickly followed her question with an excited proclamation that they had a guest. "You'll be pleased by her surprise of coming here."

"Is the visitor by any chance…"

"Syaoran! Darling!" his cousin entered his room as his mother left happily, speeding up towards him with a feverish disposition.

"…Meiling. Of course…" Yelan was only that pleased when Meiling would come to Japan to visit them.

"Did you miss me?" the younger of the two women asked him, her arms now wrapped around Syaoran as she sat beside him.

"I… guess so…yes." His answer was met by a pout from his female cousin.

"That's not a very reassuring reaction." She studied him with her distinct scarlet eyes before slapping his arm. She was always the violent type. That was never a safe thing. "Have you got a girl? You know she'd just be gone in a day or so once she finds out about our relationship." Due to his annoyance when they were young, he had no choice but to agree to her forceful proposal for marriage to him so he could play with his toys in peace. "I won't let anyone take you away from me." She nuzzled his neck. He flinched.

"That's gross! You _do _realize we're related, right?" He tried to push her away to no avail.

"Not by blood!"

"Yes, we are related by blood!"

"We're so far from being related to each other by blood that it almost doesn't matter anymore!"

"It…" he was interrupted as his phone vibrated, indicating that he just received a message. He quickly grabbed it as he read the text. It was Sakura. "Oh!"

He was relieved as it said that she was at the café. He replied that he would be on his way right away, followed by three smileys of the baby giraffe with a pacifier she mentioned that she had liked.

"Who is it?" Meiling asked, trying to see the name of the sender. She failed to do so.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" he wanted to be rude to his cousin so badly, but he knew she just came from a long flight and he didn't want to push any buttons. If he did, he wouldn't be able to leave her presence as she would scream at him and cuss in Chinese.

"Where are you going? I just got here and you're actually leaving me?"

"Sorry, but this is important!"

"I'm coming with you."

He stopped in his tracks before facing his cousin, an indignant look on his face. "You would just go and insult her, and I just won't deal with that!"

'_Her'?_ She undoubtedly heard what she heard. "Her?!"

Syaoran scrunched his face while closing his eyes tightly. He was going to have it, alright. And he really didn't want it. "Fine, you can come but please promise me that you won't say anything embarrassing or unnecessary!"

"I promise." She meant it. But, as we all know, cunning people have cunning ways to twist their way out of anything.

* * *

A pair of brilliant green eyes shifted its focus from left to right. She didn't know what was going on, but Syaoran had decided to bring a girl around their age. And it wasn't just any girl. It was a touchy, clingy type of girl.

"This is Meiling." The boy across her said, visibly prying the said lass off of him. She was probably of good strength, Sakura would think to herself for the rest of the day as she never did let go of Syaoran's arm. "She's my cou—…"

"Who are you?" She glared at Sakura, the fire in her eyes intensified by their color.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you, Meiling." She tried to smile as sweetly as she could, but their new companion looked like she didn't want her there. She scared Sakura a bit.

"I didn't mean your name. I meant who you are to Syaoran." She rolled her eyes at the unassuming lady.

"Oh… u-umm…"

"Meiling, stop asking stupid questions!" It was evidently Syaoran who intercepted. He began sipping on his drink, trying to hide his being uncomfortable.

"It's not stupid," she batted her eyes innocently at her cousin while her bottom lip stuck out. The look suited her since she wasn't bad-looking, but it was an expression that betrayed her intentions. "I just wanted to know why she had my fiancé running around at this odd hour to meet with her. Syaoran proposed when we were kids, you know," she stared at Sakura pointedly.

Syaoran, as you would have probably guessed, spat out his coffee, not expecting that Meiling would reveal their agreement to Sakura at all. Perhaps he was the innocent one. "What the hell!"

"Fiancé?" Sakura glanced at the two questioningly. She knew that Chinese people would, as some traditions do, have betrothal arrangements but she didn't expect Syaoran to have a fiancé. He never spoke of it after all.

"She's not my fiancé! She's my cou—…"

"You know, blue really isn't your color." She was referring to the dress Sakura was wearing.

"O-oh… I guess not…" Sakura Kinomoto was confused. If Syaoran had said that liked her, did it mean that he only said so to amuse himself? After all, the two before her seemed comfortable enough with each other for her to say that they could be lovers.

"Also, your eyes look funny. Anyone ever tell you that? Are those contacts? If those are circle lenses, that would be disgusting. They creep me out, and I'm sure it's not just me," the Chinese girl clearly disliked Sakura. Sakura wondered if it was because she was a hindrance to the relationship the lass had with Syaoran.

"Umm… they're not circle lenses or contacts. But, well… ha, ha… I guess they are a little… weird. But they don't really bother me…"

Meiling glared at a fidgety Sakura, the disdain for the girl intensifying every second. She looked like she could slap the auburn-haired female any minute. And then, her disposition changed in an instant. "You know what; I'd like to know you more."

"Meiling! What the heck are you up to?" Syaoran hissed at her in Chinese. It was a rude thing to do in front of someone who can't speak the language, but he did it so his cousin's motives wouldn't hurt Sakura.

"Nothing, honestly." Meiling responded in the same language, her grip around Syaoran's arm loosening as she seemed to think to herself before giving her attention to Sakura again. "Well, my fiancé and I should really get going. You're boring as hell." She then dragged a bewildered, stammering Syaoran to the door and in the process leaving a very much puzzled Sakura.

* * *

"What did you just do!" Syaoran yanked his arm away from her as he finally came to his senses. They were a good distance gone from the café so he had no choice but to go home instead of go back to Sakura. She might have left already, anyway. He would have to call her later.

"She's remarkably ordinary, you know that? I expected someone with at least an eighth of my charms to qualify as competition but you…" she looked at Syaoran disconcertedly, "…have really bad taste."

"Stop insulting Sakura, she's way better than you'll ever be."

"In what ways is she any better than me?" she stared icily at her cousin, taking insult at his statement.

"Well for one, she's not rude!"

"At least I'm not mind-numbingly dull!"

"She's not dull at all!"

"Yes, she is. She can't even form a sentence without lulling any old man to sleep." She cocked her chin up to the other direction, displaying unnecessary arrogance. "I hate her."

They stopped walking as Syaoran halted his steps. "You don't have a right to hate her. Listen…"

"No! You listen to me! She's just some plaything that you'll get tired of sooner or later! I'm just sparing you the time you're going to waste on her!" she spat out in one breath, surprising Syaoran with the level of animosity that can be heard with her words.

"I'm not…"

"You shouldn't like her so much."

"Why's that?"

"Ask your mother. She's the one who asked me to go to Tokyo to distract you from that… girl."

"What?!" Syaoran's perplexity was soon replaced by anger that was quickly building up as he just realized what the 'business' his mother had gone to a few weeks before was.

"I'm going back inside. The snow's getting heavier. You should go home too. I've had enough of this conversation." Meiling stormed off. She always had a habit of doing so with a certain drama.

"Geez, this girl is really… ah!" He froze midsentence as he remembered to call a probably upset Sakura. He searched for his mobile before dialing her number with trembling hands. It was getting colder as the snow worsened. He should have brought an umbrella to shield himself from the cold mush.

"Hello? Syaoran?"

"H-hi… I'm sorry about earlier."

"… It's okay."

"Can we meet up?"

"Where are you?"

He glanced around him. "I'm near Miyashita Park." He wasn't, but he wanted to take a walk far enough from his house. "I'll fetch you. Are you at home?"

"Oh, no, that's okay. I'll just meet you halfway. There's this great café named Doutor Coffee in Shibuya."

"Okay, I'll see you then." He put down his phone as she ended the call, relieved that he would be meeting her without Meiling around.

* * *

The snow got thicker as they met in front of the popular coffee shop. It was already eight in the evening and the shop was closed already, seeing that it was a Saturday. They had no choice but to walk around, looking for a different place to stay and talk.

"Looks like it won't let up anytime soon." Sakura was referring to the snow.

Syaoran nodded as they sought shelter under a roof outside of a convenience store. "It looks like we would have to look for somewhere else to stay…" Syaoran peeked at Sakura, embarrassed. It was Shibuya after all, and the locals knew what that meant.

"L-love h-hotel…" he whispered to himself, his eyebrows shooting up with the realization. He knew that Sakura was afraid of snowstorms and the weather was clearly heading to that direction, so they would have to stay somewhere warm and safe soon.

The two students looked at the hotels lined up before them.

"D-does that look safe e-enough?" it was a miracle he could form a question. He was turning beet red as he pointed at the most wholesome-looking love hotel.

"I guess so," Sakura replied, unfazed.

Our male protagonist was having a dilemma of all sorts. Even though love hotels have an age restriction, they could enter since there was no reception at the desk of the hotel available and so he just swiped his card to get in. He knew that their stay there wouldn't lead to anything sexual or anything of the sort, but he was still a boy and she was still a girl, he was pretty sure.

"I'll just warm up some water for tea." It was Sakura who spoke. She was evidently too trusting to even bat an eyelash.

"O-okay…" he shut his eyes every time she would talk to him, afraid that perverted thoughts would make their way to his mind. This plan was soon thwarted when she sat beside him, a good distance away, but the distance was close enough for her to hold his hand. "S-sorry… just… the snow…"

He looked out at the window. It was almost purely white. She was thankful they were indoors, but she was still scared. "It's o-okay…" he put his arm around her as he held her nearer. All ideas of possible raunchiness were gone at a second.

"Thank y-you…" she trembled slightly as she snuggled to him. She felt oddly more at ease. "Thank you," she repeated, looking up at him.

And then, emerald met amber.

It was like the icy malice of the night disappeared at that instant, and who were they to refuse this… this newfound warmth that they felt?

Should they kiss?

He didn't know so he looked away, afraid the magnetism would be too much to handle. He was merely a puppet to her beauty; merely a slave to her charms.

"S-sorry…" he would bow if he could.

"It's… it's fine." She gulped audibly. Was she affected as well? She slid farther away from his embrace, but not enough that he could let go of her. This action was soon reversed as the snow worsened. "I'm sorry… just… the snow…" she closed her eyes, afraid that the whiteness of the snow would devour her into nothingness. He embraced her with both arms, sensing that she was alarmed.

"I-it's nothing… I'll protect you, just like I promised." He held her firmly. He could feel her calming down as she sank into his grasp.

"Thanks…"

"I-it's alright."

What should he do now? He didn't know, so he did what any boy would do: he hummed.

Well, what any boy as odd as he was would do.

He continued humming a song from an unknown place in his mind until Sakura chortled before laughing out loud. "Was that your version of a lullaby?"

He blinked a few times before realizing what he was doing. "Oh… I… guess?"

Sakura continued chuckling, her body shaking from the bursts of mirth. "I'm not a baby, you know…" she was getting breathless from giggling.

"Y-yeah… I realize that." He smiled at her. She stopped laughing as she gazed at his handsome profile. The magnetism was still there.

"Sakura…" he started.

"…Yes?"

"You know… I… I always wonder about you."

"Wonder about me?"

"I mean… "He fidgeted a little as he tried to collect his words. "I mean, how could you have let me kiss you? I mean, you're so wonderful…and… I mean…"

She furrowed her eyebrows at the statement. "I guess… well, I honestly don't know why I let you kiss me."

"Oh…" he was hoping she would tell him that she finally liked him. He let his eyes roam her face as she looked away, oblivious to his actions as she seemed to think some more. "You're too beautiful…" it was more of a whisper than anything else, but she still heard him.

"Umm…"

"Sorry! I'm sorry! It's just… umm… you weren't supposed to hear that…" he mumbled, his hold on her loosening a bit.

"You're funny," she giggled for a while again. "I never know what you'll say next."

"That… does it bother you? I tried changing, but I'm not very good at it…"

She shook her head. "It doesn't bother me at all. I think it's quite… endearing."

They gazed at each other's eyes once more, letting the moment sink in. He was a puppet again beneath her stare, ready to perform any movement that she willed.

"I think… I think I really do love you…" he said quietly as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Please don't say that…"

"I'm sorry, but it's true…"

They could feel each other's warmth as they closed the gap between them, as they neared their face to each other.

This time, it was longer.

It was liquid fire, this kiss they shared. Their lips met with the same stillness of innocence, but the passion that made them blush like newborns was there.

Their kiss was unsure, naive. She angled her head to the left as she raised her arms to embrace him around his neck. They remained still in that position as they felt each other's gentleness, each other's restless breathing. He dazzled upon her sweetness and the beauty of the moment. She truly was someone he could truly love.

She was the reason he wanted to. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, wanted to wake up the next day earlier so moments would be longer, wanted to love. All things, he wanted to. And it was all because of her.

He let his hands travel to her waist, unknowingly. He felt the small of her back before she broke the kiss, her eyes wide and her face red. They separated from each other, embarrassed.

"S-sorry! I… I didn't realize…" he trailed off before bowing, in his usual way, before her. "I promise I won't do it again. Oh!" he got up before dashing towards the lavatory. "I'll stay here! So don't worry about it!" he got in the bath tub, clothes still on. "I'll sleep here!"

"Umm… a-are you sure about that? I don't…"

"I'm sure!"

The night went on with the two staring listlessly at the ceiling, one question in their minds: What now?

* * *

"Where were you?" an angry Meiling demanded as soon as Syaoran entered the Li abode.

"I was… out."

"I can see that," she seethed at him, knowing fully well that he was with Sakura. "You better be thankful auntie Yelan isn't around, or you would've had it." She glared at her cousin, an edge to her voice as she continued, "You were with Sakura, weren't you?"

"Nothing happened, so don't worry."

"Are you stupid? Of course I'll get worried! We're engaged!"

"Are you some sort of psycho? We're cousins! We can't be engaged! I'm going to take a shower. Don't do anything funny while I'm not around."

Meiling narrowed her eyes with fury as she waited for him to leave the shower. She yelled at him as soon as he got dressed. "How dare you! We made a promise!"

"I was four!"

"A promise is a promise!"

Syaoran scratched his head, exasperated. "I'm going."

"Out with her again?"

He didn't respond, making her take it as a 'yes'.

"I'm going with you!"

"No wa…"

"Unless you want your mom to find out where you were last night," she smugly stated with her hands on her hips.

He froze in his position before finally agreeing. "Fine, but no funny business!"

She smiled triumphantly. "You never trust me."

"I have no reason to."

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto blinked twice, confused on why Syaoran had brought along Meiling to the café. "Hello…"

"Sorry about Meiling, she wanted to come…" Syaoran said, dejected.

"Of course I do, we're about to get married after all."

"We're cou—…"

"Anyway," she interrupted her cousin before he could state their real relationship, "What are _you _doing here? Haven't you had enough, even seducing my fiancé into staying the night with you?"

Sakura turned redder and redder by the second as she stuttered a "what", and then looking furiously at Syaoran. "What did you tell her happened, exactly?"

"I didn't say any…"

"Excuse me for a minute." Sakura purposefully drew her chair back loudly as she ran off towards the restroom.

"What an idiot."

"What the hell were you saying? I didn't even tell you anything!"

"You didn't have to."

"That's it! I'm leaving, whether you stop me or not!"

"I'll tell you Sakura's dirty little secret if you stay."

"I trust her."

"You have crumbs all over your face," Meiling reached out before he could get up.

As soon as Sakura Kinomoto exited the restroom after gathering her thoughts, she stopped in her tracks upon seeing what lay before her.

Meiling had her arms around Li Syaoran as she pulled him into a kiss.

Before Sakura could even process what was happening and before she could see how Syaoran pushed his cousin away with disgust, she let her feet lead her away as she briskly walked towards the door of the café. Syaoran then spots her and attempts to leave before Meiling spoke.

"Don't bother going after her. She's probably going home to her kid."

He looked at the girl with scarlet eyes, puzzled. "…Her kid?"

"That's what I said. Sakura has a kid." She looked at him slyly. "Never imagined her to be so lewd, did you?"

"You're lying."

"You know that I never lie to you."

What she said was true. It was something he would have to ponder on as he rode his bicycle home, never really caring that he left Meiling alone.

* * *

**A/N:** Review? I realize that there are less and less people actually reading this story. The reviews are also testament to that. I would hate to not finish this story, and I thank everyone who has imparted the time to read this story. Please bear with me as I continue writing, and hopefully get to finish this story. Many stories of mine were not finished because of the lack of reviews and readers, but I'll still do my best on this.


	11. Lady Fate

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Ten-

An excited Takashi Yamazaki climbed the school gate before jumping to the other side. He was late for his morning classes, but he just heard something juicy from the two old gossipy ladies from their neighborhood. He was going to get detention for sure, but he didn't mind that one bit. What was important was that he could relay the message to his best friend as soon as possible.

While Takashi was running towards him, his proclaiming of "Dude" getting louder and louder as he got nearer, Syaoran tried his best to nurse the current headache he had whilst walking to the main entrance of the school.

"Duuuude!"

"I heard you the first time."

"You ain't gonna believe this!"

"What?"

"Why so irritable?" the slant-eyed boy asked playfully, huge grin still in place on his face. "Well, your frown is about to turn upside-down!"

Syaoran pinched the flesh between his eyes while he closed them, aware that his headache was about to get worse. "…How's that?"

"Word on the street is…" Takashi paused for dramatic effect before whispering quite loudly, "Madame Unsei is coming to town! She's going to have an exclusive fortune-telling this afternoon near our school! You have to go with me!"

"I can't."

"Why?" He nudged his agitated friend lightheartedly, "Are you going out with Sakura again? Jeebus, yer dudettes sure like hanging out with ya!"

"…Seems that she likes hanging out with other guys too." Syaoran mumbled as he opened the door to his locker. "Let's hurry. We're late. Besides, Meiling is around so I have to go home earlier than usual today."

Takashi scrunched his nose. "Gross, you mean that cousin of yers who is in love with you? Dude, she creeps the snot out of me!"

"Not only you. She kissed me in front of Sakura the day before."

"Is that why you're so upset today?" Takashi sighed dramatically before resting his hands on Syaoran's shoulders. "Listen, all ya hafta do is talk to yer gal! Simple as that!" he then raised his hands in the air to emphasize his point.

"That's not my problem."

"What is your problem then?"

"She has a kid."

"Sakura? Or Meiling?"

"Sakura." The Chinese lad was visibly more upset as he said her name. He felt betrayed. It would be the last time he'd fall in love so quickly, he thought to himself. He had never worn his heart on his sleeve blatantly until she came along and he didn't mind it at first, but for her to not say anything about something as significant as having a child… well, he wasn't up for giving any second chances.

"Sakura told you she had a kid?"

"No, Meiling did."

"That witch can't be trusted, matey." Takashi stroked his chin before pounding a clenched fist on his palm. "Meiling's up to something, it's obvious. Sakura can't possibly have a kid! She ain't got them birthing hips for it."

"Meiling's never lied to me before. By the way, your accents are getting worse by the second."

His best buddy ignored his second statement. "Ah, but she has got a way of _twisting_ the truth! Sakura's probably babysitting some kid and Meiling thought it was hers."

"I asked Meiling about that, and she said that the kid is a Kinomoto, like Sakura."

"Then, a baby sibling…?"

"Her mother died before the kid was born."

"Hmm… that complicates things. But you know, you shouldn't be too quick to judge." Takashi wagged a finger at a scowling Syaoran.

"What are you trying to say?"

"That your biggest fault is jumping into conclusions."

"Well, Meiling said that Sakura probably used me since my mother's… you know."

"Rich?" It was Takashi's turn to frown. Sometimes, his friend was too gullible for words. It must have something to do with his blood type, he had concluded since then. "You know, _you_ were the one who told me to believe that not all girls are superficial. And besides, it's not like Sakura's asked youz for moolah or anything."

"I don't know if I should defend her or—…" the school bell rang, indicating that their conversation had to end.

"Well, whatever. Talk to me when you need anything. Better yet, only talk to me if you've grown some brains."

"I'm not the one failing English."

"_I_ _said_: whatever. I'll pick you up after school! We've got a date with Madame Luck herself!"

"I told you I can't…"

"See ya!"

Looks like Li Syaoran had no choice.

* * *

Everything has changed.

Sakura Kinomoto peered at the scenery outside of the window by her seat. Yesterday was a puzzle, that was for sure. What was more of a mystery was why Syaoran hadn't called her yet. She wasn't asking for an apology, but she really wanted to know what was going on. She deliberated on calling him each moment she would notice her phone (which was really all the time since the incident), but it was he who needed to do the talking, not her. She wouldn't know how to start, anyway.

"…moto."

"…Huh?" she looked dazedly at the direction of the voice.

"Kinomoto. Glad we finally got your attention. Please translate the first three lines found in page fifty three." Her very old professor–ancient, in the exaggerated words of a teenager—glanced at her beneath his thickly framed glasses.

"The strawberries…" she stopped midsentence, the fruit written out in hiragana on her textbook making her remember Syaoran. She shook her head to push away the thought as she continued. "The strawberries take time to ripen in December to May when…"

A concerned Tomoyo Daidouji glanced at Sakura. She knew what had happened between her and the Li boy from her constant prying. It didn't help that he was engaged from the start, but to lead her friend on like that was unacceptable.

Her stepbrother had mentioned that he did some research on Syaoran before finally agreeing to help him set himself up with a girl, and despite being the most thorough person she knew, Eriol could never dig up any information that would say that Syaoran is in a romantic relationship with anyone else. "They are not adding up…" she muttered under her breath as she tried to figure out if the girl claiming to be Syaoran's fiancé was really that or if Eriol was not exhaustive enough. "That can't be right…" she furrowed her eyebrows as she understood that Eriol Hiiragizawa wasn't someone who didn't investigate anyone meticulously.

"Whew… that was tough…" Sakura whispered to Tomoyo, who was seated behind her. "…Are you alright?" she asked the lavender-eyed girl, who was looking at her intently.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure, in springtime…"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Mm-hmm…"

Sakura pouted at her friend before swiveling around to face their teacher, like she was supposed to. She sighed as she recounted what happened the day before. The two were about to get married, as the girl Meiling had said, but why was he still persistent on showing Sakura he liked her? Was the engagement forced? It seemed like it.

No matter, Sakura thought to herself, she wouldn't be a pawn to their game anymore. She decides perhaps it's time to let go. She didn't like him that much anyway.

But on the other hand, the people who you let in to your life shouldn't be disposed of so easily, right? And the fact of the matter was: she _did_ like Syaoran enough (even though she denies this) to kiss him. Twice. Sakura shook her head again while closing her eyes shut to erase the thought. But similar to Syaoran, the thought was incessant.

The class would prove to be a long one.

* * *

It was a good eight minutes before Takashi would apologize to Syaoran for being late. Club activities held him up, but now it was time to visit the 'Gypsy of Fortune', as Yamazaki had dubbed Madame Unsei.

"I'm really sorry!"

"It's fine, but you have to suffer a certain consequence…"

"About time you got here!" Meiling surfaced from behind the brown-haired boy, an expression of annoyance plastered on her ever-scowling face.

Takashi threw back his head, deflated. "Oh, man!"

"I told you I couldn't go, but you insisted! I warned you." Syaoran looked at him sideways. "Anyway, let's go."

The short walk from their campus to the booth was excruciating for both men. Meiling had gone shopping the whole day and so her feet were tired, leading to her string of complaints as they strode by.

"Knock it off, will ya! We're here." Takashi motioned at the stand. As expected, the line was very short on which Meiling was very thankful for.

"I want my fortune told first!" she raised her right hand up in the air.

"What! I waited so long for this! I have to be first!" Takashi was a pretty tolerable guy, but he had the patience of a brat when it came to dealing with Syaoran's female cousin. She had considered him as competition for Syaoran's attention and so had treated him poorly ever since.

"Haven't you ever heard of ladies being first?"

"If we have to jump off a plank, I'll let you use that idea."

"What did you say, you accent-confused dingbat? I can't hear you through all your choking!"

"Confused? You're the one who's confused, missy! You're not even engaged to Syaoran in reality! You're delusional!"

Meiling shoved a peeved Takashi as soon as she heard what he last said. "Take back what you said!"

"I don't twist truths like you do, so I can't!"

"You there!" an elderly woman's voice interrupted the two's word sparring. It was Madame Unsei. Syaoran looked around him before realizing she was talking directly to him.

"Y-yes?"

"Come here."

Syaoran glanced around him again before hesitantly going to the fortune-teller, confused. "Wha…"

"Come in." she grinned at him nicely, her gray eyes filled with sparkle as she gestured for him to sit. Her wrinkles hung loosely on her translucent skin, the purple scarf wrapped around her neck failing to conceal her old age. "Please, be comfortable."

Syaoran nodded in return, the mystic's ghastly appearance making him cautious but the smile the aged lady gave him was reassuring enough. "I-I'm Li Syaoran, it's nice to meet you."

"Yes, yes, Syaoran. Names aren't very important, but it's nice to meet you as well." She shuffled the card with her ring-laden hands. Her fingers, the Chinese lad noted, were painted with bright red polish. "It's getting less cold, isn't it?" she asked pleasantly before she laid out the cards in front of Syaoran. "Get ten cards."

"Um… okay…" he noticed just then that his hands were trembling as he reached out to do as he was told.

The older female flipped each card he took as she placed them before her in such a way that they formed a cross shape. "Hmm… as expected, very interesting. You must be a special young chap."

"I-I'm pretty ordinary." He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. He bowed his head slightly to show his appreciation.

"Don't say such nonsense. Now, let's see what you have in store here." She cleared her throat before pointing at the first card she overturned. "It says here that you are experiencing new events in your life, and that they started out very good until," she tapped the second card, "this happened."

"Umm… by 'this', what does that mean?" Did the astrologer know about Meiling and Sakura? Syaoran widened his eyes with interest. Perhaps the cards could tell him what he had to do at that point.

"A hindrance."

"Hindrance?"

"Yes. This third one over here says that one of the people you hold dear to you is deceiving you."

He furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't a believer in anything supernatural, but the old woman was accurate so far. "May I know who is deceiving me?"

"The one from a different land… someone who just visited," she gestured at a card that had eight wooden wands falling from the sky.

"Meiling…" he let his shoulders drop. She never did lie to him before, why would she begin now? "I don't believe that."

"Pardon?"

Syaoran raised his gaze from the table to the medium's eyes, a look of defiance etched on his face. "I don't believe that she would trick me or anything of the sort. She may be a cunning person when she wants to be, but I trust her."

The elder chuckled at what he said, gathering the cards leisurely as she did so. "Ah, young people... they always believe what they want to."

"Excuse me." Syaoran bowed at her before drawing back the curtain of the stall. He was met by an excited Takashi and a fidgety Meiling.

"Is it my turn yet?" Takashi asked, evidently ecstatic that he might be next in line.

Syaoran studied Meiling before he nodded at his friend. "We'll be going now."

"What? Why's that?"

"I guess… I'm not much for 'unsei' after all." It was a play on the fortune-teller's name and the Japanese word for fortune. "Let's go, Meiling, if that's okay." He beamed at his cousin. She couldn't have loved him more then.

* * *

As they rode his bicycle home, her arms around his waist, she spoke unsurely. "I… eavesdropped on you. I couldn't help it." She wasn't much for apologizing, and she wasn't going to start then even though she purposefully heard something she shouldn't have. "Why did you defend me?"

His messy hair effortlessly blown by the wind into different directions, he thought for a while. "I guess it's because… well, you _are_ my cousin, after all."

"Yes, but…"

"I've decided to talk to mother about it."

"About what?" She pouted at her relative. "I thought you trusted me about Sakura."

"I do, but I'm sure she's the one who told you that Sakura has a…" he trailed off. He was still saddened by the situation.

Meiling observed Syaoran before letting go of him as soon as they arrived at the Li household. "Yeah, you go talk to her."

"Will you come along?" he smiled at Meiling brightly again, betraying the sorrow he felt at the moment. "You're going to snoop again, anyway."

She took no offense to the statement as she tagged along, greeting her aunt with a bow as soon as they got to her home office.

"What brings you both here?" Yelan asked as she looked up from the papers she was signing. "I have a meeting in twelve minutes so make it choppy."

"Is it true that Sakura has a child?" Syaoran truly wished it wasn't.

Yelan sighed in an exasperated manner before looking at her watch. "Yes, it is correct that she has a child she's taking care of."

He paused for a while, opening his mouth every now and then as he would think that he could form words, but in the end he couldn't. It was true in the end. He got his hopes up for nothing. It took a while before he muttered an "I see" and bolted out of the door.

Meiling snickered smugly before raising an eyebrow in triumph. "I told you so."

"…I never did doubt you; I just... hoped it wouldn't be real."

His cousin looked at him a longer time before excusing herself to go to dinner. "You should come too."

"…Right."

"Well… I'll see you later."

"…Right."

She stared at him again before he excused himself. He had a lot to process tonight.

* * *

"I'm home!" Sakura Kinomoto called out to the always-busy household. Since Hiro Kinomoto had been around, things have remained pretty busy. "Hello, Hiro," she kissed the toddler on the forehead. The child had light brown hair and large copper eyes that lit up upon seeing Sakura.

"Well, you're home early this time." An older man with dark hair and an athletic build spoke. "We've been waiting too long. Cook dinner already!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue at the guy. "You're one demanding brother, Touya."

"Of course, it's so you'll be a good wife someday that's why I always command you to cook and clean."

"That's not fair!"

"Besides, you're younger so…"

"Ma!" the youngster raised his arms to Sakura, signaling that he wanted to be held by her. "I wish Hiro would stay this little forever," the girl with green eyes said, an earnest disposition emanating from her. She truly loved the kid.

"It's been quick, hasn't it? Hiro's two years old now." Touya allowed Hiro to go to Sakura at the moment, carefully handing him out. "He's not mine, but I really have taken a liking to him."

"At this rate, Hiro's everybody's. His dad is never home."

"So is ours."

"Dad is always out of town anyway." Sakura swayed from left to right to humor the youngest of the three.

Touya observed the two before speaking. "You know, you shouldn't let Hiro call you his mom all the time. Once his real mom comes home, they both might get bummed out. Also, the kid'll just be confused."

"Yes, well, our aunt and uncle never visit him, anyway. They're just as busy as dad is."

"That's true." He looked at his younger sister sideways before continuing, "Cook. Now."

"Fine, fine." She smiled in return as she carried Hiro to his wooden crib.

* * *

Meiling entered his 'Spaceship', gingerly letting herself in. "How are you?"

He didn't answer as he stared at nothing in particular. He proceeded to sit on his bed, forcefully stopping himself from pacing back and forth. He really didn't know how to be someone Sakura could miss. She still hadn't called. He never imagined that they would end up that way.

Syaoran thought of her name, and how it would be the only thing ringing in his mind for which he felt would be endlessly. He could still imagine her warmth. He missed her.

"…Don't worry too much about it." She approached him, seating herself beside the melancholic lad. "She isn't even worth it." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Once upon a time, Meiling truly believed that Syaoran wasn't capable of loving anyone. She couldn't feel anything as she mistook that she knew him the most. Perhaps people really do grow out of who they once were. She glanced at the phone in his hand. He was as transparent as ever, at least. She came closer as she embraced him. "I'll be here for you… forever and always."

She meant it; 'forever and always'. She won't have anyone break his heart. Not even the one he loved most.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for the words of encouragement to continue 'Oddities' :) New chapters will be written and posted soon.


	12. Liking You is All Greek

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Eleven-

Syaoran slumped back in his chair. Today would be another day. He watched, uninterested, as one of the members of the poetry guild adjusted his glasses and proceeded to talk about the club's events for the rest of the school year.

He didn't care for it. He didn't care for it at all. He wanted to flash his middle finger in front of everyone while walking out of the room. He desperately needed to be rude at the moment. After all, his world just began crumbling down for eight days.

Everything was painful to do.

Even waking up was agonizing. The saying that all good things must come to an end was right after all.

He stretched his legs before him, tapping his feet in the air as he did so. Numerous thoughts ran through his mind, but they all would end with one person. He wanted to not care for her anymore, but he couldn't trick himself into doing so. Takashi wasn't helping since he kept on prodding Syaoran to call Sakura all week long, even during weekends.

"…And that's about it. Thank you, everyone, for attending." The bespectacled organization member said. "I expect everyone to contribute to each meeting from here on out. Especially us seniors, since graduation is just around the corner." His lisp was very prominent. "Well then, this meeting is adjourned."

The boy with amber eyes stood from his seat. He was relieved that the assembly was over, but he wasn't looking forward to seeing his cousin or his mother at home.

"The café…" he thought about going for the past eight days, hopeful to catch even a glimpse of her. He decided to go. If he would see her there, then perhaps it would be right for it to happen.

He got on his bicycle, gripping the handles firmly. _It's now or never, silly beaver._ And then he rode up to the street leading to the coffee shop he had grown to make a part of his routine.

* * *

He stopped pedaling as soon as he saw her inside the café. He entered the said place hesitantly.

Ambling cautiously towards Sakura, he was sheepish as soon as she realized he was there, a befuddled look on her face.

"Is it okay if I…sit with you?" he asked, afraid that she might say no.

"…Sure."

"Th-Thanks."

"…You're welcome."

"…Yes…'

"So… how have you been?" she couldn't look at him straight in the eye. The kiss between Syaoran and his supposed bride-to-be was still clear in her mind.

"I've… been better."

"Oh." She paused for a while before continuing, "How is your fiancé?"

"You mean Meiling? She's still the same." he furrowed his eyebrows at the way Sakura addressed her, thinking it was some joke. It didn't enter his mind that Sakura still didn't know that they were actually cousins. "…How about you? How have you been?"

"I've been a little confused lately."

He searched her expression to see if she was fine with continuing their conversation. He watched as she let her gaze drop to her lap. "Confused?"

She sighed before giving him a strained smile. "It seems like the boy I like has grown tired of me and likes someone new."

He let his eyes' focus shift from left to right, thinking about what she said deeply. Did she mean Yukito? She hadn't mentioned him ever since she returned the cookies the Chinese lad thought were the ones he gave her to him. Confirming in his mind that it was probably Yukito she was talking about, he continued, "Yukito… Yukito can't be the only boy you'd like for the rest of your life. You…"

"I wasn't talking about him." She then had the courage to stare directly at Syaoran before getting up from her seat. "I should go." She looked upset as she tried to walk away.

"Please wait…!" he attempted to reach out and stop her but only got a hold of her bag. He consequently yanked it by accident, causing the bag's contents to fall out. "S-sorry…!"

His eyes widened as it dawned upon him what lay before him.

Baby bottles and milk formulas were strewn about. There was also a small notebook that looked like it was used to record a baby's growth. Sakura immediately picked the things up, unfazed. "It's alright." She was used to clumsiness happening. What she wasn't used to was the idea that that would probably be the last time she'd see the odd boy.

He stood there for a while, his mouth agape. The items in the bag definitely confirmed that Sakura had a child.

Syaoran slowly knelt down to help her pick up the scattered objects, his hands slightly shaky. "Sorry… I'm sorry…" he apologized again and again before he let her leave, an ache in his heart he thought would never cease ominously present as he fell back on one of the chairs in the café. He was perplexed with Sakura's actions.

The fact that she steadily just got the items that were clearly for her kid in front of him was a mystery. The way she didn't look bothered at all about revealing that important piece of truth to him confounded him to no end.

Should he go to her? He wasn't the type of person who let things just stay the way they were and not understand the motives behind them. That was one of the reasons his bullying got worse, when he confronted his classmates about it. They said that they weren't the ones who did the unpleasant acts to him. Takashi believed them; he didn't.

Perhaps his best friend was right; perhaps his biggest fault was that he jumped into conclusions too often. Maybe it was time he gave Sakura the benefit of the doubt.

He climbed aboard his vehicle (which was just his usual bicycle, again) before proceeding to take the short route towards her house. All that he knew at the moment was that he still liked her. And that was enough.

* * *

"Who are you?" A very tall man with dark hair asked, cradling a sleeping young boy in his arms. It wasn't a very pleasant greeting, but Syaoran didn't notice the edge to his voice.

"I'm Li Syaoran. Umm… is Sakura around?" he gawked at the bigger guy, wondering who he is.

"What's your business with her?" He clearly disliked the boy. He could tell by looking at him that he wasn't any good for his sister. He was quite the judgmental person. Touya's glare intensified even more as he heard his sister's visitor's mobile ring from his pocket.

Syaoran excused himself as he looked at the screen of his phone. It was Meiling. "Not again…" he groaned as she had been calling him the whole day.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Touya asked quietly as he felt Hiro stir in his sleep. "Might be some chick."

Syaoran glanced at the older male before disregarding the call. "It's no one important."

There was an uneasy moment of silence before Touya sighed and finally invited the boy inside. He wouldn't be offering him any tea, that's for certain. He wasn't a welcome guest after all. No baby sister of his was getting suitors this early, and that he made sure of all the time. However, it was the first time he had met a boy who had a crush on Sakura who didn't bail upon seeing him. Touya was intimidating, and he was proud of that.

It was strange that Syaoran was more afraid of Sakura than her brother.

"Sit." He nodded towards the general direction of the Kinomoto living room, as his arms and hands were clearly busy.

"Thank you."

Loud footsteps could be heard as someone audibly came down the stairs in-between the dining area and the living room. The house was considerably smaller than Syaoran's home, but he decided he already liked the place. It reminded him of Sakura because of its pleasant simplicity.

"Who was at the door?"

Syaoran froze at the sound of the voice. It was undeniably Sakura's.

"Geez, kid. Ever heard of keeping it down? You always make it a point to stomp your way everywhere."

"You're one to talk with those monster-feet of yours." She sounded like she was used to the older man's insults. "Anyway, do we have a guest?" she made her way to the area Syaoran was in. He looked up to see her and she appeared a bit surprised that he was there. "Hi..."

"H-hello…" Syaoran mumbled, unsure if it was the right decision to have had come to her house then.

There was an awkward pause as they looked uneasily at each other, unsure of what to do next.

"Ma! Ma!" Hiro called out as he raised his arms towards Sakura.

"Here you go," Touya handed the kid to Sakura before glancing at Syaoran. "You have a problem with kids, kid?" he was referring to the expression the peculiar lad had on at the moment.

"You… you two make a lovely couple."

Sakura looked questioningly at Syaoran. "You… two? You mean us?" she pointed to herself then to Touya.

"…Yes." Syaoran nodded, puzzled at her reaction.

"Hey, kid, don't say stupid things around Hiro." Touya poked Syaoran's forehead menacingly.

"…Stupid… things?" The younger of the two men was completely baffled. What was going on? Was he concluding things on his own again?

Sakura stuck out her tongue, disgusted. "Gross… that would just be plain wrong."

"You've got a sick mind," Touya placed both hands on his hips as he glowered at Syaoran, who was still immune to his threatening stance.

The Chinese boy wrinkled his eyebrows together. "What's so wrong about what I said?"

There was a moment's pause before Sakura started laughing her head off. "Everything!"

"…Every… thing?"

"You're one dumb kid." Touya proceeded to saunter towards Sakura, whacking her at the back of her head to stop her from howling with glee. "And you, stop guffawing! You know you'd be all over me if we weren't related."

"Get over yourself!"

Syaoran shifted his focus from Sakura to Touya and then back again. She was completely different around the guy. "You said 'related'?"

"We're siblings." Sakura confirmed, her chuckling dying down.

"Oh..." he processed this before widening his eyes with comprehension. "Oh!"

"Do you want to talk to me about something?" Sakura asked as her brother excused himself with the sniffling Hiro, who complained that he was still sleepy.

"Oh… uh… ah! Yes. Yes, I do."

She smiled at him before gesturing towards the door leading to their backyard. "Touya won't be interrupting us there. He hates that area."

"Oh… why's that?"

"…Something to do with his uncontrollable bladder when he was six in front of his crush."

He nodded as a response, following Sakura out the door.

* * *

"Well, here we are. What did you want to talk about?"

"Umm…" he paused before quickly saying, "I thought that was your child."

She blinked a few times before swiveling around to face Syaoran, who was looking at his snow boots. "My…child?" Her green eyes lit up with understanding after a time. "You mean Hiro?"

Syaoran bowed his head. "Y-yeah… sorry about that."

"Hmm… that would have been weird if that were true."

"I'm glad it isn't." he exhaled with relief.

The silence between the two was almost deafening as each one had the chance to finally explain things but had no will to do so. Sakura gazed at the night sky as Syaoran played with his feet. She then looked at him sideways. "Is… is there anything else you want to say?"

"Well… that was about it…"

"Oh." She slightly pouted as she pondered on whether she should inquire about the kiss between Syaoran and Meiling or not. She peeked at her wrist watch before speaking. "Your… fiancé might be looking for you at this hour."

"You mean Meiling?" he asked, perturbed. "I don't know why you would also call her my fiancé, but she's just my cousin so I can't help but be bothered by you calling her that." He peered at Sakura before continuing, "Anyway, she'll be fine. She doesn't know her way around Tokyo so she has no choice but to stay at home, where she's safe." _And out of sight._ Meiling pestered and flirted with him the whole week. He couldn't help but take any chance he got to be apart from her.

"Your… cousin? …Well, now I'm the one who feels silly." She giggled as she crossed her arms to keep herself warm. She was very much comforted by the idea that he wasn't interested in Meiling after all. "But then again, why did you kiss her the last time we were at the coffee shop?"

Syaoran turned red at the query. "Um… that... that was just… she… she is kind of stuck with the idea that we're engaged, since... well, since I promised her I'd marry her when we were kids…" he paused for a while before clarifying things, "I mean, it was so she'd get off my back… figuratively, of course."

"Of course…" Sakura chuckled at his being uncomfortable. "I understand."

"Um… well then… bye…" he was hesitant as he started to walk away.

"Wait! Syaoran…"

"Y-yes?" he instantly turned around, excited that she had stopped him from leaving. It was much too early in the night, anyway.

"Could you… maybe… stay for a while…?"

He smiled at her, his demeanor full of eagerness. "Y-yes, I'll stay!"

She grinned back at him, causing him to blush a tremendous shade of red. He never could be immune to her charms. Sakura shivered involuntarily as it got cooler.

"Uh…! A-are you cold?"

She nodded at the question, "A little… we should probably go back in, where it's warmer."

"N-no, let's stay!" He approached her with a few quick steps as he reached out to slowly hug her, uncertain of himself. She could feel the jumps of his heartbeat through his jacket as they embraced. She missed this… she missed him. So much.

She hoped they could last forever that way.

His smile made her feel warmth; his warmth would engulf her and linger on for the moment. They sensed each other's breathing, and wished that that very second could be stretched to eternity.

He whispered something inaudible as he held her. It didn't matter what the words were, they were just there for them to hear but not to comprehend. Her name wouldn't be something he would just recall endlessly, it was now something he could say. It would ceaselessly remain on his lips, just as it always has ever since he first saw her.

Was this 'love'?

The one word that made men travel to the far ends of the earth to prove, the one word that held all things beautiful, the one word that could give birth to countless verses of exquisiteness.

The one word he felt at the moment.

And then, he opened his eyes upon realizing something.

"…The boy that you mentioned you liked in the café…"

"Yes; what about him?"

"Is… is he by any chance... me?"

Sakura loosened her grip on the lad as she looked up to him, a pretty frown on her face. "You… haven't figured it out yet?"

He shook his head at the query.

She blinked a few times, the way she would always do. "Of course he's you."

He studied her expression to see if she was lying. Sakura was about to let go of him before he tightened their embrace, his face buried in her shoulder. "I'm sorry… it's just… I'm so happy. Is…is it true? Do you… do you really like me?" He couldn't let himself see her expression anymore, afraid that he might just break if he did so.

She simply nodded. But that was enough for him to feel the heat make its way up his cheeks again. Warmth could be sensed as the back of his eyes stung.

_Is_ this 'love'?

He knew it was, and he would, could do anything for her to feel the way he did. "That…" he cleared his throat to stop himself from choking out loud, "you can't take that back, okay?"

She smiled, but he couldn't have seen this as his head was still bowed, his face still resting on her shoulder. "I won't take it back. I like you."

He held her tighter and she felt that she could melt anytime soon in his arms. That instant was enough for her to know she could love him with enough while. "Thank you." It didn't need to be repeated, but he said it again, "Thank you."

* * *

He rode his bicycle on the way home, beaming at the world. "She likes me…" he whispered to himself before whistling a happy tune from his imagination. He then halted his steering as he comes across a park; the park where he first kissed her by accident.

Dropping his bicycle suddenly, he runs across the said place. Syaoran spots the monkey bars in the middle of the area. It was perfect. Climbing to the top, he let the cold of the wind blow gently on his face.

He calmly sits at its very peak, contemplating about what just transpired between him and Sakura. "She likes me…" he quietly said yet again to no one in particular.

It was the first time he ever had feelings for someone else, and that person actually liked him back.

He let that sink in for a while, but that would prove to be for only a second as he started cheering at the top of his lungs, hollering the same line he just whispered to nobody, "She likes me! She likes me!" he wanted the world to know; he wanted the world to dance to his words. "She…likes…me!" he flailed his arms in the air.

"Quiet down, young man!" an elderly lady called out, letting her cane support her as she ambled by. "Kids these days…"

Syaoran did as he was told, still grinning widely at the world. Perhaps… perhaps fate loved him back, too.


	13. Promises

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Twelve-

"I knew about it all along." Meiling began nonchalantly, her hair up in their usual pigtailed buns and her hands in their habitual position on her hips. She had stayed up all night to wait for her cousin to come home, knowing fully well where he was. Her cheongsam dress shone under the fluorescent lights of Syaoran's room, its color akin to the blue of an ocean under the sun in the tropics. "Are you going to do something about it?" She also knew that Syaoran had probably found out the exact truth.

It would be the first time Meiling twisted the truth enough that it was already a full-fledged lie. Syaoran should have despised her, but he knew where she stood. He knew what it was like to love now, and to comprehend that a broken heart can shatter one's self. It was enough for anyone to manipulate others into thinking what they want to believe was true. Meiling was self-seeking to have done so, but selfishness could be forgiven. He loved her as a brother would a sister, and so he understood her. "I'm going to sleep."

Meiling stared at him, searching his face for some sort of sign that he was at least a smidgeon angry or upset or horrendously baffled… any negative emotion towards her would do. "You're going to sleep?" She studied him more, the tip of her nose almost touching his as she did so. Her heeled feet made muffled clicking sounds on the carpeted floor as she walked past him after a while. "You're no fun at all." She tried to disguise her guilt with indifference as she continued to sit on his bed. "I still think Sakura's no good for you, and so does auntie Yelan."

"The kid isn't hers."

The pigtailed girl nodded at the statement, her guilt still masked by unresponsiveness. "I know. But I don't want to explain myself to you. I don't have to. You were the one who was idiotic enough to believe me anyway. Doesn't that prove that you yourself don't love that girl enough to trust her?"

"Well, I trusted you more." He said casually as he sat on the chair near his study desk.

Meiling narrowed her eyes at him as a response. She didn't know what to say back to him, and that infuriated her. "You're so… so stupid!" And then she ran out the door, her heels continuing to make the silenced clicks on the carpet. She hated that she lied to someone she loved dearly; hated that her love could never be returned. She stomped her way to her room located at the far corner of the house. She opened the door with a bang.

And then, she sat on the floor.

The back of her eyes stung as tears started to fall from her eyes. Most of all, she hated herself.

* * *

Seijou High's road leading to the front gate was full of students who were eager to go home. Club activities just finished, and many were glad that they were.

"Syaoran!" Sakura jogged up to the boy she had confessed to the week before, her eyes seemingly twinkling from glee. "Sorry, did you wait long?" Ever since they embraced that night, the Chinese lad made it a point to fetch her from her school to take her home. "Hi, Takashi."

"Yo!" Takashi waved back before throwing salt over his shoulder. He had been doing so all the way to Seijou, saying that visits to unfamiliar territory could attract bad luck and salt could ward them off. He liked to make up his own superstitions now because he felt that he knew enough to create some of his own.

"Sakura! Wait up!" Tomoyo and Chiharu lagged behind the fastest of the three, the former calling out her name. They panted as they made it to the two boys and their friend.

"You are always in such a rush, we never can keep up." Chiharu was the one who spoke. Her hair would usually be up in two braids, but lately she liked to wear it down. She also started to wear lip gloss, hoping that she could get a boyfriend before she graduated. It was a silly wish that would prove to last only until the next week. In the meantime, she glammed herself up to prove she can attract men too.

Takashi straightened his posture upon seeing Chiharu, a grin that was supposed to be friendly so strained it looked like he was smiling a sleazy one. "Hello, young lady." The way he said it was so tense, it seemed as if he had bad intentions. "Would ya like some salt?"

Chiharu replied with a flat-out "No" as she gave him a strange look. She wouldn't be able to decipher that with that one statement, she had shattered Takashi's heart into a million tiny pieces.

Mentioned boy staggered as he clutched his chest in agony. "That's so unbearably painful!" he said in return, making Chiharu frown at him. Her greatest flaws were that she was too deadpan and apathetic to other people's feelings. "Nevertheless, I'll walk you dudettes home! What a privilege!"Tomoyo and Chiharu's houses were on the way to Takashi's uncle's ramen shop so he had been accompanying them home to 'get to know Sakura's friends'. It was excruciatingly obvious that he only escorted them to find a girl, though, just like his best buddy had suggested.

"Fine, fine." Tomoyo bobbed her head up and down as she waved her hand mid-air. "Bye, Sakura! See you tomorrow!"

"See you!"

Sakura and Syaoran watched as their three companions walked away, Takashi visibly trying to get closer to Chiharu as they did so. Syaoran beamed at Sakura as they left. "I'll walk you home." Sakura nodded in return as she held his hand lightly. He still blushed at the gesture. He was just another wide-eyed boy who was desperately in love with a girl.

* * *

"Your turn to babysit. I've got a late afternoon shift at the construction site." Touya had a part time job there so as to earn money for who knows what. He never could tell Sakura what exactly he was saving for.

"Again?" Sakura didn't mind taking care of her nephew but she had been doing so for the past two weeks on her own that she was starting to neglect school work.

"Sorry, it's important." Touya didn't look apologetic at all as he rushed out the door. He made it a point to glare at Syaoran first, though.

"Geez! What does he need the money for anyway?" Sakura muttered before turning to face the Chinese lad. "Sorry, looks like I have babysitting duties again today."

The boy frowned at this before widening his eyes at a thought that just popped into his mind. "I'll take care of Hiro with you!"

She pondered on this for a while before asking, "Is it okay?"

"Of course! Leave it to me!" He had no experience taking care of toddlers, but it shouldn't be too difficult, right? He had pets before, it shouldn't be very different.

He was wrong.

The afternoon proved to be really difficult and really different.

Hiro continued to bawl throughout the day as he threw his food across the table. "I don't like!"

Sakura seemed to be unfazed by this as she calmly tried to feed him again. Syaoran, on the other hand, was frantically looking like he was dancing an awkward cha-cha. He took a few steps to the left and then to the right before throwing his head back and forth since he didn't know if he should focus his eyes on Hiro, the food thrown, or Sakura. "Ack!" He froze in his position as the child accidentally threw his meal at him.

"Hiro, you shouldn't do that to your food! Sorry, are you okay?" Sakura approached Syaoran with paper towels in hand.

"I-it's okay…" he reached out for the paper towels and proceeded to wipe his face. "I guess it happens."

She gave him a small smile before picking Hiro up from his seat. "That should be enough for you, then."

An hour passed, and then two before the kid finally went to sleep after watching half of Mary Poppins on television in the room provided for Hiro. Feeding the youngster wasn't the same as feeding his pet fish, Syaoran had concluded. But the child was easier to handle afterwards since he seemed to tire himself from wailing earlier. If Li Syaoran was ever going to have children, he prayed that they would eat in silence. Sakura carried the toddler to his bed and tucked him goodnight before facing Syaoran.

"Sorry about earlier," she said sheepishly as she sat beside him on the mattress, next to the sleeping form of Hiro.

"It's okay, I don't mind." Syaoran glanced at Sakura before focusing on the movie that was still playing.

Sakura stared at the screen as the actors bopped to the music they sang before whispering, afraid that Hiro might be disturbed from sleep. "I've never danced with any guy aside from my brother before."

He thought about this for a while before blurting out "Then, we should! Um… we should dance, I mean."

She gaped at him, confused with the sudden suggestion. "Uh…I'm not very good at it."

"Doesn't matter," he stood up from the bed as he courteously bowed before her. "Please dance with me," he whispered quite loudly, causing Sakura to cover his mouth with her left hand.

"Here?"

He straightened up as he nodded; puzzled that she would ask such a question. "We'll be quiet, anyway."

She thought about this for a moment before giggling at the idea that they would start waltzing around for no particular reason. The fact that Syaoran was acting as if it would be such a normal thing to do was a funny thing, but she shrugged it off. She was used to him being that way, and she liked him immensely for being who he is. There never was a dull moment with him.

"Okay…" Sakura took a few steps forward hesitantly towards him after she turned off the television. She intertwined her fingers into his, her forehead resting on his chest. They remained that way for a while, the dim of the night light like the glow of a hundred fireflies as they would dance to the moment that the two shared. They swayed as the stars that peered through the windows seemed to let them bask in their luminosity.

The stars were the twinkling eyes of the night sky, he would think to himself as he closed his and let the simplicity of that instant echo in his mind. He would never forget, he thought to himself. He let go of her right hand as he gingerly let his own feel the small of her back delicately. She didn't seem to mind as she let her free hand place itself on his shoulder.

"What are we dancing to?" she asked, playfulness in her eyes as she decided to look up to his searchingly.

"Do you want me to hum?" he mumbled as he smiled shyly. It wouldn't be the first time he would dance with a girl, but he thought of it as his first. "Hiro might wake up."

Sakura glanced at the direction of the child's bed, the youngest of the three sleeping peacefully. "Let's not risk it then."

He pouted at her rather cutely. "Are we… stopping?"

She tried to suppress a laugh. "I'm afraid so."

"That was quick to last."

"It wouldn't be the last." The reply made him beam at her. He understood that it wouldn't be, and for her to affirm it made it feel like there were fireworks bursting through his chest.

"That's a promise, okay?"

"It's a promise."

He went home that night happier than he felt he could ever be, her vow to him enough for him to be glad to see another day with her tomorrow. She made all things feel new and appreciated.

Then again, while there are new things that come in someone's life that can be cherished, there are also old ones that should not be forgotten.

Meiling Li flipped the page of the book she was reading, aware that her cousin had just gone home. She didn't call him the whole day, hoping he would realize she was still upset with him. Syaoran wasn't the type—as you may recall—to notice the very important things someone would perceive and so she would just be let down.

She peeked at him as he skipped towards the staircase leading to the floor of his room. "Hey!" she yelled at him, peeved that he didn't even look at her in the receiving room. She was positioned in such a way that she would be the first one to be seen once someone passes by the stairs in the receiving area. "Where the hell do you think you're going?!"

Syaoran seemed to snap out of his reverie as he gawked at Meiling. "Oh… you're here."

"Yes, I'm here, idiot!" she stuck out a tongue at him, blatantly showing her current disdain for him. "Were you out with Sakura again?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She furrowed her eyebrows together as a scowl found its way to her face. "I still think Sakura isn't the right girl for you."

Syaoran stared at Meiling before nodding. "I know."

"I'll still be the one who loves you most." She bit her lip as she said so, afraid that her words would make him hate her more.

He just continued to look at Meiling as she sought an answer in his expression. It was true she would be the one who would love him. She was a girl who kept her promises, no matter how distorted they may be to other people. It was a quality that was her greatest, yet also her worst. "I know," he bowed his head slightly for a second to show that he did indeed understand.

She seethed at his answer. "In the end, it's still Sakura, huh." The grip on her book tightened as she tried to control her tears. "I understand we can never be together, but why did you have to fall in love so soon?" her bottom lip quivered, her disposition quickly changing from that of anger to sadness. "You could've given me some time before falling for anyone else." She then looked up before throwing her book at him. "You're so stupid!"

Syaoran looked rather 'stupid'-ly, in Meiling's words, as his cousin rushed to the living room, the happiness he had had earlier replaced by guilt. He was not able to control his emotions for Sakura, but in the process he became insensitive towards the feelings of those that surrounded him. He then bolted to his room after quite some time, grabbed a pillow and placed it over his head, tying the ends together to secure it in place under his chin before rushing back to the living room area.

"Alright, let's talk," Syaoran marched towards Meiling, who was sulking in one of the sofas.

Meiling, in turn, raised an eyebrow at him. He was still as funny as ever, and she meant funny in an odd way. "What else is there to talk about?"

He thought about this for a moment before slowly saying "Everything," cautiously nearing Meiling and stopping as soon as he was directly before her.

She glared at him, disgusted with the idea that he was so sympathetic towards her. She knew she wasn't the nicest person, and it bothered her that he wouldn't treat her with anything but kindness. She wanted to hate him, and the fact that she couldn't added to her frustration. "Why do you even like her?" the girl with fire in her eyes demanded. "Aren't you just mistaking infatuation for love?"

He appeared to ponder on this for a while as he fixed the pillow on his head. "I like her just because."

"That's an idiot's answer."

"Yes, well, if I had to enumerate the things I loved about her, then it wouldn't make any more sense than just loving her just because."

"How can you say that? Are you some monkey that would choose anyone as his mate?" she spat out, her arms crossing against her chest while she leaned back against the couch. Her cousin was a simple man who delighted in the simplest things. She never understood that about him. She never would. "You didn't ever care about what others thought of you before, and now you're all over her like some lovesick puppy that can't get enough of its owner's attention. It's like I don't even know you anymore!"

"It's true that I didn't care for what other people think," he lowered his gaze as he tried to find the right words to say to her. He was bad at explaining himself, but he wanted her to understand him. "But when there's a person you care for, of course you want to comprehend what he or she thinks of you."

"Why would you say that? Why are you so weird?" she asked him angrily, the hostility in her voice enough to make him flinch. She wanted to strike a chord in him and make him mad at her. She didn't like that she felt like scum at the moment.

"I think… everyone's strange in their own way." He paused for a while before continuing, "I don't know why everyone's so afraid of being labeled that way, but I believe everyone's strange. We aren't robots. We feel. We get hurt for being unaccepted by being different from others. I realize this, but what I don't grasp is the idea of having to act like a standard."

"Well, how would people know what to do if they don't act like what they are expected to do?"

"For one, they can just act like themselves. Everyone has a heart that beats for another, and people are just waiting to be accepted."

She stood up from her seat as she prepared herself to walk away from him. "If that's the case, how come yours never beat for me when I have always accepted you?"

"Meiling…"

"What now?!"

"You are very special to me. Not even loving Sakura can change that fact."

She stopped in her tracks as she wanted to say something despicable back, but she couldn't. People had always expected her to be the disliked, unwelcome type. But with Syaoran…she was never the unwanted one. He had always been there for her, and she knew that he being in love with someone else couldn't change that.

Still, she felt it was unfair of him to fall for anyone else when she hasn't moved on from him, especially after the (forced) promise to each other that they made. She opens her mouth but closes it again, saying nothing in the process. She then left the place, ready to find solitude in her own room.

Meiling slammed the door shut as she was ready to think of ways to hate Sakura even more. She froze as she neared her bed, a familiar object placed on the mattress.

It was the book she threw at him earlier.

She paused for a while as she contemplated on whether to open it or not. She might be able to distract herself if she read, she thought to herself before shrugging and opening it. A piece of paper fell out, signs of age such as the slightly wrinkled edges and its yellowing state evident. Clumsily written on it in violet was 'Syaoran's Promise to Meiling' and below it, in red crayon, "Let's be together forever and always! That's a promise, okay?!"

Meiling frowned at the sight of it. Was he ready to erase her from his life? Was that why he would give something so dear to her that she had given him years ago back? As she was about to corner him and cuss at him in Chinese, she looked at the back of the paper.

Written neatly, in his handwriting, the black ink was inscribed on the surface of the paper undoubtedly: 'Forever and Always'.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked away before glancing at what was jotted down again. It was really his handwriting. It was a promise he would keep, after all. She had always loved him for so long. She sat on the bed, her hands trembling as she read his scribbled words over and over again: dissecting them; understanding them. And then she made a new vow to love again.

Perhaps other people's hearts can beat for her too.

* * *

The next morning proved to be just as peculiar as Li Syaoran. Meiling acted like her usual self and pretended like nothing happened at all the night before. Yelan didn't suspect a thing until Meiling began to speak in an uncharacteristically calm way during dinner.

"My business in Japan is finished after all." She smiled at her two relatives before continuing, "I'll go back to Hong Kong in two days." She then got up from her seat and placed herself beside Syaoran, looking intently into his eyes. The fire was still in them, as it would always be. "You better keep your promise!" And afterwards, she walked to her room, ready to pack her bags for the new days to come.

* * *

**A/N: **I'd like to place an after-note just to thank everyone who reviewed and followed or favorited this story again. Writing this has been a pleasure for me, and I hope you enjoyed reading the recent chapters too. There are about seven chapters left for this story, although it's a very simple, easy read. Hopefully, I'll see you readers in the coming chapters as well. Thanks again!


	14. Endings Start New Beginnings

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Thirteen-

An uncharacteristically happy Yelan Li opened the door to her son's room, not paying heed to his peacefully sleeping form. "Magnificent news!" she would say, in her usual old-fashioned way of speaking, as she opened the curtains letting the sunlight cascade directly onto Syaoran, who was understandably irritated.

"What news?" he tried very hard to croak out the words, his face in his pillow and his rear end up in the air. He looked like a worm in mid-crawling movement.

His mother dusted off imaginary specks of dirt on her rose-colored sheath dress before trying to nonchalantly announce the very important piece of information she had. "Well, you passed the first round of getting into Stanford's business program." She unsuccessfully attempted to hide the rather massive grin plastered on her face as she continued, "Results for the second round will be in April."

His eyes opened at what she said as he scurried to face the older woman. "That's wonderful, but I already told you that I was hoping to go to Waseda University here in Tokyo instead." Waseda University is one of the leading schools in Japan, a competing second to Tokyo University. The outcome of the entrance examination would be due in April for the said college, as well.

Her left eye twitched at the statement as she suppressed a chortle of sarcasm from emanating from her mouth. "I am your mother and so my word is absolute. I know what's best for you, after all."

He frowned at what she told him. He disliked that she would use her being his mother as a reason for him to follow her bidding. This decision, after all, wasn't as petty as washing the dishes or cleaning the car first. This concerned his future, and he was bent on deciding on it himself.

"I respect what you are saying, but I think that this is a choice I have to make." He arranged his words as carefully as he could as he proceeded, "Waseda University is one of the greatest in the world in business, and I believe it would be the best answer to our businesses, since it is based in Japan. Waseda would know local commerce more than an American university would, as that is its focus. I'm not trying to put down Stanford or other foreign schools, they are the crème de la crème after all, but what I'm saying is that… I think Waseda University is best for me and the Li industry."

Yelan furrowed her eyebrows together before clearing her throat. "Correct words. Fine, then. I'll give you a proposition." He perked up at the idea that she would give him a chance to fulfill his wish of going into the school he wanted to go to. He listened intently as she proclaimed her proposal. "You will have to get into the top three for the first trimester. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to transfer you to the college I want you to attend."

"Agreed!" there was no hesitation as he said this with his right hand up, his expression full of resolve and devoid of any doubt in himself. He was, in any case, one of the best in his batch in one of the most elite high schools in Tokyo and subsequently in Japan. He would do anything for his dreams.

But then again, not all things would always go the way someone wanted them to.

* * *

"…K-Kyoto University?"

Sakura nodded. The train from Tokyo to Kyoto would be five and a half hours, which would mean they won't be able to see each other as much as Syaoran would want to. The Chinese lad's eyes widened as he tried to process this. Graduation was just around the corner, and he knew it would mean the time to say goodbye to some things, but he never anticipated that Sakura would be one of the things he had to wave his hand to.

"But…" his eyebrows furrowed, "But then I won't… see you every day…" his eyes looked searchingly at Sakura's before he lowered his gaze. He felt lost. Sakura was the only person who made him understand happiness, and for that to be taken away from him at a blink of an eye saddened him to no end.

A gentle breeze seemed to coax Sakura into approaching him for comfort, but she restrained herself from doing so. Their visions, it seems, were going to cause them to be apart. But Sakura was also his dream, and she held all things dear to him. "I… guess not…" she lowered her eyes as well, as if the ground held all the answers to their dilemma.

"That's true…"

"I'm… I don't know what will happen now…"

"…Me neither."

"…"

He straightened himself as a thought made him snap to his senses. "Then…!" he began, a look of determination on his handsome features, "Then I have to hurry up and make you fall in love with me!"

Sakura Kinomoto looked at the peculiar boy in front of her in an equally peculiar way. "Hurry up?" it was a strange thing to proclaim, but Syaoran—as you may remember—is a very odd type of person. He also had many other traits, and one of them was stubbornly going head-on with any challenge that comes his way.

"Y-yes!" he seemed to contemplate on something as he put his hands on her shoulders firmly. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life!" Characteristic of the Li family, he had fire in his eyes as he said this. "Sakura, you're my dream! And nothing, absolutely nothing," he closed his eyes tightly as he said the last word before opening them again in a split-second, "Will keep me away from my dreams!"

She blinked a few times while noticing how vastly taller Syaoran was compared to her. They were standing in the Kinomoto residence's backyard and her brother couldn't be bothered on checking up on them because of his traumatic past in the area which relieved her (pun intended) tremendously. Touya Kinomoto might have laughed out loud at how audaciously childish Syaoran's lines were just now. "Never been more sure…?" she couldn't help but echo the things he stated in a dumbfounded fashion. She would never get used to the way he was full of resolution.

He nodded vigorously in return. "Sakura, you make me so happy. So happy, in fact… so happy, in fact, that I feel I could just burst every time I see you!" He let his gaze fall as he tried to recount the words he had attempted to memorize in his mind for the past few seconds oh-so much. It was a speech of romantic pursuit that he wanted to sound as earnest as possible. "You… made me change in so many ways. The truth is: I appreciate life more now. I mean… it's not like I didn't appreciate it before, but…" he looked up at her again, this time with even more intensity, "But everything's much more colorful now! I mean…" he furrowed his eyebrows, his fear that his point wouldn't come across making him stumble with his words, "Before I met you… I was living in a bubble…I think. At least, that's how I handled things. I didn't know how to feel so many things. I understood a lot of realizations not just about myself, but about people, as well. I learned that… they're okay. People are okay. Most of all…" he straightened his stance with his hands still on Sakura's shoulders, "…Most of all, _I'm_ okay. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Sakura nodded finally, after trying to process what he had just said. "Thank you… that makes me… very, very happy." She closed her eyes tightly upon saying 'very', only opening them after her last word, mimicking his actions a while ago. His words did make her overjoyed. Her heart beat so fast at just the prospect of falling in love with him. She was ready. Her heart was ready.

But the bigger question is: are they really ready for what's to come?

* * *

Six rings from his mobile echoed throughout his room before he decided to pick it up. Habit was still habit for him, and he changed but not totally. He sat on his mattress.

"Hello?"

"Dude!" Of course, it was none other than Takashi Yamazaki on the other end of the line.

"What's up?"

"Great news, man! Found me a new dudette!"

"You say that as if you had a 'dudette' before now." Syaoran liked his friend, but his strange accent and way of speaking bothered him at times.

"I had tons of dudettes before! Anyway, her name's Chiharu and…"

"I know Chiharu. I was the one who introduced you to her."

"Please don't interrupt!" Syaoran could imagine his buddy holding up a palm at him as he would quickly dismiss what he just said, "Her name's Chiharu and she's beautiful, you know: even prettier than your chick, but she doesn't believe in anything I say _at all_! It sucks, brah! It's like I'm talking to a wall! She doesn't respond whenever I tell her 'bout them important stuff!"

"You sound amused even though you pretend to be peeved." Syaoran smirked at Takashi, although said boy couldn't have seen this.

"Well, whatever, no interruptions! Just this morning, I walked her ta school and I was like: 'Don't walk under that ladder! It's bad luck!' and she was like: 'Alright', but then she actually _walks under the ladder_! I mean, y'all don't even…it's not funny!"

Syaoran tried to stifle a chortle to no avail. Soon enough, he let out a howl of a laugh as he slapped his right knee a few times. "Can't…help…it…sounds like…" he gasped. What he meant to say was that Takashi sounded like a pissed preteen girl who wanted to sound as 'fly' as the stereotypical cool black, sassy girl.

"Geez, dude! You'd think you'd be more supportive of a troubled fellah… guess not." Takashi pretended to sulk as he continued, "Anyway, remember my uncle who owns the ramen shop near Tomoyo's and Chiharu's?"

"Yes; what about him?"

"Well, he's relocating to Fukuoka. That's where he originally set up his ramen business, anyway. And well, I… decided to study there as well."

"…Oh." Syaoran let himself fall into his bed. Fukuoka was far… much too far. It really was time for farewells. Syaoran was starting to think twice about college being the path towards new beginnings. Ever since he had met Sakura, he had learned to love more, but… "I see." But it made goodbyes even more difficult. It made goodbyes even more painful.

"Fukuoka's kind of a long ways from here, so I guess I'll only see you during the holidays."

"…Y-yes, I guess so…" They truly were going their separate ways. "I guess… that life goes on, too…but…I'm not so sure if I'm ready… for it."

There was a short period of silence before Takashi exhaled rather loudly. "…Buddy! Don't worry 'bout it!" a serious tone could soon be heard afterwards as he continued, "It never really is farewell, you know." His strange pronunciations were gone as he said, "Whenever you see a black cat, be sure to retrace your steps… and think of me in the process as well." He took another deep breath. "But what you should always remember is to continue to dream impossible dreams… promise me, okay!" It was more of a command than a request.

Syaoran smiled quietly. Maybe moving on really didn't mean goodbye for forever. He nodded, hoping that Takashi could sense the movement. "Thank you, buddy." He meant it as one for everything.

Graduation would be in three and a half weeks. He hoped it would be enough time to truly say 'goodbye', while simultaneously saying 'hello' to what was to come.

* * *

As graduation ended and April just seemed to fly by, it was May already.

Li Syaoran ran as fast as he could, not paying any attention to the beauty of the cherry blossoms that fell on him. He was late for class, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. He would wonder later on what could have happened if he paid more attention to the cherry blossoms.

* * *

Sakura Kinomoto browsed through the organizations in the university, hoping to find one that could be added to her resume once she graduates. A photograph of a young boy from the Philippines smiling happily to the camera captures her attention as she walks by the booth in which it can be seen. She began to look around curiously, hoping to find anyone who could be managing it.

"See something you like?"

A man with silver irises that mirrored the color of his long hair that cascaded until the middle of his back was the one who asked. There was an arrogance to him, which would have made girls want to flock to him. His haughty nature reminded her of a certain Chinese lass she had met a few months back.

"I… was just looking around." She bowed her head for a second politely, ready to walk away. It proved to be too little, too late as the man held her wrist rather gently, but the gesture was enough to have her stop in her tracks. "Can I… can I help you?" There was a certain magnetism to the guy. He was astoundingly different from the other men in the campus.

"I think you'd like the organization very much. It doesn't seem like there are many members right now, since it's fairly new, but we're always looking for a new eye. Experience doesn't always equate to excellence, which is what our goal is."

She stared at the hand gripping her, which caused him to let her go. "Um… that's very admirable but… I don't think I'm good enough a photographer to…uh… get in."

"That's okay!" He proceeded to assure her that the best photographers usually didn't know they were capable of greatness until they tried it.

"I really… should get going…"

"Oh…" there was disappointment in his tone before he asks, "Where are you from again? I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, they call me Yue."

She blinked a few times at the old-fashioned name. "I'm actually from Tokyo, but I'm staying at the dorm here."

"I'm sorry about being such a pest. Would you like to go to dinner, as a form of some sort of apology?"

"Um… that's really not necessary…"

"It's not necessary, but apologies aren't always necessary."

She seemed to ponder on this for a while before frowning. "I honestly don't have the time to go out. I need to study."

"Well, how about I just treat you for coffee?"

"Um..." she hesitated, "okay…"

"Great! I'll see you at five in front of the main campus's Camphora."

Sakura nodded as she waved her departure to her new acquaintance.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Syaoran! It's such a relief to hear your voice…"

"Sakura? Oh, sorry, I have to go… classes are about to start… sorry!"

She gazed listlessly at the window as he ended the call. It was only a few weeks, but it felt like they were drifting apart already. Every time she called, he was always in a rush or wouldn't answer. His dream was Waseda University, too, in the end.

A strained smile found its way on her lips as she decided to study instead for her exam the next day. "That should be right…" it was no time to dilly-dally. "Time to get cracking…" Studies should be her priority anyway.

But as she noticed her mobile again—the number she had known by heart on the screen—a pang of pain could be felt. She may be his dream, but not his first one. It was utterly selfish, but she had hoped she would be his primary one.

She furrowed her eyebrows as a feeling she thought had long been gone already encompassed her. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. She was heartbreakingly lonely.

* * *

"… Five weeks…huh?" Syaoran glanced at the calendar on his desk as he got home. "Time really flies by…." It seemed like only a few days ago when he was worried about saying goodbye to Sakura and everyone else. Perhaps it was time to pay her a visit.

* * *

They met up outside of Sakura's dorm. Syaoran, due to his stubbornness, decided to show up at the same day that she called. He missed her and he had to see her right away, and that was good enough logic for the odd boy.

It would be six in the evening before they would see each other, and it would have to be a fast one since he still had classes the next day at noon. He began the conversation by asking her how her campus life had been thus far.

"School's been… so-so…"

"Oh…"

"…How about you? How has school life been?"

"It's been… good… nothing new…" he thought about this for a while as he gawked at his hands. "But Waseda is still my dream and I'm working hard on it…"

There was another long pause. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to meet up after all, they would think to themselves.

Were their conversations this empty before?

"That's… good."

"…Thank you." A moment of silence took to their exchange again. It seemed like no matter how hard they would try to resurrect the sparks they once had with each other, they were gone. It had been their first instant to see each other after graduation, and they should have been filled to the brim with stories… and yet, it seemed like all they could talk about was nothing. "…" Absolutely nothing.

"Well, I should really get going…" She didn't want to give up on what they had, but was it time to give it a break for the time being? It had only been five weeks and yet it seemed like they were strangers already.

"Sakura…" he sighed as he looked up from his hands, "I… I know right now, we aren't very comfortable with each other but… but please know, you still are my dream."

She stared at him long enough before giving him a small smile. He could tell she was starting to have doubts.

* * *

Li Syaoran got home, wearier than when he did from a grueling day at university. His priority was being at the top in Waseda University, but did that mean he had to sacrifice being with Sakura just for that? They were two dreams that seemed so far apart from each other and he felt like he had to carry them both with such herculean effort, he could topple and fall off from the metaphoric balancing act he was in.

As he was about to take off his shoes, a ringing from his phone caught his attention.

"Hello?"

"…It's me." It was Sakura.

"What's the matter?" He was very much worried. They had only seen each other a few moments ago, and yet she was calling him? It was strange.

"…Do you… do you think we should take a break for a while to study first?"

His eyes widened at the proposal before he let his gaze lower to his lap. The thing that shocked him the most was the fact that he was actually considering it. Maybe it _was _time to take a break.

* * *

**A/N:** I originally planned for this story to have twenty chapters so that the count would be divisible by ten (I kind of have a compulsion to have all things end by zero). But for a story this simple, I feel that that would be too much, so there would be only around two chapters left or more.


	15. Summer Firefly

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Fourteen-

"…Hello?"

He thought about it very carefully. To choose between two dreams… it was very confusing. He had had his heart broken a few times before, but it was strange that each time felt like new. The sadness was still there; the aloneness was instantly there. He had tried giving up on Sakura before.

But for now… maybe it was a moment to dream impossible dreams. It was a vow he had made to a certain slant-eyed boy, after all. Now was the right time. With Sakura, he felt that it would always be the right time.

"I don't think we should break up." There was a short pause before he continued, "I want to make my dreams a reality… with you."

She grinned to herself at his words. His resolution never did waver. He wouldn't be Li Syaoran if it did weaken, in the end. "It can't be helped, then."

Syaoran nodded. He had a newfound habit of making gestures he can only hope the caller could see. "Sakura…"

"Yes…?"

"I love you." He had said it before, but this time felt different. It was like an embrace of warmth, the way he said it; it was like a promise.

Sakura listened again as the call ended, each beeping from the phone a whisper of hope. Perhaps… people don't change even after all that's happened.

* * *

Soon enough, it was late in July already.

It had been two weeks since they last met.

Many things, it seemed, had changed in the lives they once lived in Tokyo. The students had fresh faces, the weather had changed, the atmosphere had transformed. The café they used to frequent was being renovated, renewed. It was an analogy to the relationship they had now; it was an analogy to all things new.

"Is it really okay?" Sakura shyly peeked into his room; afraid of whatever it is she is frightened of. She had been there only once before, which would explain why she was so sheepish about it.

Syaoran gently smiled at her, reassuring her. "It's fine. Mom's not around, so there shouldn't be anything to be nervous about." They had gone to his room since he was hoping on giving her something.

"A-Alright…" her sandaled feet cautiously stepped into the room, the carpeted floor slightly tickling the sides of her right foot. "I can never get used to how big this place is…" she mumbled to nobody in particular as she approached him.

He sat on his bed as he rummaged through a box, a serious expression on his face. She placed herself beside him as she tried to figure out what he was searching for. "It should be here… wonder where it is…"

"What is it?"

Syaoran snapped out of his reverie as he gawked at Sakura, realizing she was now seated near him. "Um… just something…"

She pouted at him. "Of course it's a thing… if that were an animal or a person in that box that would be creepy."

He chuckled as he bobbed his head in agreement. "Well, there goes my surprise!"

She laughed in return at how charming he could be. She reached out and placed her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him on the cheek. He jolts at the contact, startled. "Oh… sorry…" she blushed as she grasped what she had done.

"I-it's okay…" he touched the part where her lips had rested briefly; astonished that she had initiated contact with him. He was elated.

"Um… sorry…" she got up, but before she could really do so, he took her hand, asking her to stop silently as he put aside the box he was holding with his free hand.

He could hear the sound of his voice. It seemed foreign at the moment as he pleaded her to stay by his side. "Please… don't go…"

Sakura stared at his eyes, their irises of fire appearing to draw her in. "I-I… won't…" she slowly neared him as he began to close the gap between the two. His hands delicately held her face to his, their touch akin to how the glow of the moon would feel against the flesh: almost absent, yet aware.

And then their lips met. She felt like she could stay in that moment forever, only with him; nobody else.

It started out, as it would like the last time, innocent. They didn't grant themselves the chance to display their affections aside from the usual intertwining of fingers and so they couldn't help but be unsure of what they were doing. His name echoed through her mind as their kiss deepened, and as she could feel his mouth open to let her know where he wanted their union to lead, her eyes closed at the sensation. She then parted her lips as a response.

The heat added to the warmth of the moment. Her thin yellow dress could only serve so much as a barrier as she could sense his fingers gingerly move on to the small of her back like gentle raindrops on a window pane. She didn't protest.

And then she felt like she could do anything he wanted to if he would say it with his hands.

The awareness of each other's body made him close his eyes as well with newfound ecstasy. The gravity really was too much. He was quicksand once again, as he drew her in; as he dangerously let her lie on her back and he let her arms rest on his shoulders.

He briefly halted the passionate kiss as he carried her legs to the top of his mattress, making her body fully lay on the bed. He placed his knees on either side of her calves as his taller form enshrouded her.

He let his hands now roam to the curve above her hips, her small waist enough to make him excitedly moan as their lips met once again. All the loneliness they had felt when they were apart culminated and burst into nothingness at that moment. It was a beautiful, magical instant. They explored the caverns of each other's mouth as she sighed into his embrace. She unknowingly pressed her chest against his body as he began to mumble something incoherent at the action.

She broke the kiss.

"What was that?" she looked at him, still dazed with what they were doing.

"S-sorry… I… I can't… if we don't stop now…"

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was trying to say. "Oh… oh…! I guess… this is it for now." She smiled at him reassuringly—a gesture he had done to her earlier—as they separated from one another and sat on the bed, aware of what had happened.

There was a comfortable second of silence before she began speaking again, her fingers playing with his. "I think… I might be in love with you, too…" Their glances met as she proceeded to say quietly, "But I'm… not very sure… we are still young, after all…"

He blinked a few times, a motion that was eerily similar to the girl's habit. "If you see a future with me, then age shouldn't matter." He had said it as if it was the simplest logic in the world, but she took no offense to it.

It was something she would think about for the rest of the night as he walked her to her house.

"Next week…" she began speaking, her hand in his as she swung it slightly.

"Next week…?"

"Let's go to Aoyama."

"What's in Aoyama?"

"…Someone very important. I would like for you to meet each other."

Syaoran wondered if it would be her father, who he had known to travel a lot due to his line of work. "I'd be happy to go wherever as long as it's with you."

"…Even to the dentist?" She asked playfully. Dentists, in his personal opinion, were boring and frightening, what with their perfectly aligned choppers and ominous grins.

"Even to the dentist." He beamed at her, showing off his teeth. They obviously didn't need any treatment.

* * *

"I'm a little nervous…"

"Why's that?"

"Well, it's the first time anyone has visited her. I mean, aside from the family and Tomoyo…"

"How is Tomoyo, by the way?"

"She's doing wonderful. London's been difficult at the least, but I'm sure her work as a student fashion designer would speak for her despite the language barrier."

"The course suits her."

"It does. How has Takashi been lately?" They stopped in front of a row of graves made out of stone.

"We haven't seen each other since graduation, but I bet he's doing great. Takashi's Takashi, after all... he can fend for himself. Even when I didn't care about the bullying that much, he was always there to stand up for me, because he says that that was what he believed in. His accents are really weird, though. Even weirder than me."

"You know him too well." She giggled as they ambled a little further ahead. "We're here."

He looked at the wooden board placed at the front of the monument with the name 'Nadeshiko Kinomoto' carved on it. "Her name's really pretty… I bet she must have been as kind as you." He clapped his hands together as he knelt down and asked for the deceased mother's blessing.

Sakura observed Syaoran as he closed his eyes in prayer. He was always so earnest with everything he did. It was one of the qualities she admired about him. It took some time before she would kneel beside him, her fingers stiffly held up in prayer.

"Thank you."

She gazed up at him, surprised at the sudden show of appreciation.

He smiled at her sincerely. "Thank you for letting me meet her." A new chapter in their relationship was afterwards unfolded right then and there.

The two head to the park they would always go to as high school seniors, the memories of past coming back to them in their minds as they sat on the swings.

"I remember, you know. It was my first kiss even if we didn't mean for it to happen." She grinned wistfully as she scanned the area. "I never really did know what to expect whenever I was with you." She evidently meant it in a good way, but the last statement made her companion scowl at her.

"I can be predictable too, you know. You make it sound like I'm some sort of kid who can't plan out what to do next."

"You know that's not what I meant." She stuck out her tongue at him lightheartedly as she continued saying, "Many of my firsts were with you, but I hope my lasts would also be with you."

"I'll make that happen."

"That's a promise?"

"It's a promise." he stopped speaking for a while, as if he recalled something. "Oh! That's right; before I forget, I have something to give to you. I-I wasn't able to give it last time… since… well, we got… distracted."

She blushed at the memory, her back stiff in the air as she straightened her posture and cleared her throat. "R-Right…"

He glanced at her before digging through his pockets. He produced a small wooden box wrapped in velvet from it. "H-here…"

She gingerly took the box, wondering what was inside. She opened the box slowly, as if cautious on what could spring out from within. A thoughtful grin placed itself on her lips as she held up the item in the box.

It was the sunflower button they had looked for all night, months and months before.

It was also the sunflower button he had cried over.

Of course, Sakura Kinomoto never really knew that that wasn't the reason he bawled his eyes out at the time, and even at that exact moment. So that was the reason why she asked him, "Why would you give something so important away?", her eyebrows furrowing at the idea.

"That… then… that wasn't what I was really looking for. And I feel that it's the same with you." He paused to gather his words carefully, as he would always do around people he cared for most, "Both were never in my mind, but I think… I think that when you find something you weren't even looking for, it feels even more special." The fire in his eyes deepened once again, "You're very special to me, Sakura. And I can just hope that I never lose you."

"I'll make sure to be found if I get lost." She leaned in for a short kiss, the softness of each other's lips a reminder of the fragility of their existence to each other. There was still an innocence to the way they kissed, but this time, there was a reassurance that nothing had to be rushed for it wouldn't be their last.

He nodded in return as they held each other's hand, making their way home.

And before they knew it, summer vacation began to near its end.

* * *

Syaoran would toss and turn in his bed a few times before he came to the realization that his mobile was ringing. At twelve in the morning.

"Hello?" he groggily answered the phone, his rear end in mid-air once again.

"Du-hude!" It sounded like Takashi, but Syaoran could only rub his eyes in response. "Who is this?" He was much too tired to have anything to do with prank callers.

"Where the heck are you, dude? The fireflies are a-swinging!"

"The… fireflies…a-swinging…?" The Chinese lad's eyes widened, sleep the farthest thing from his mind. "Takashi?!"

"The one an' only! Like, where are ya?"

"I'm… in Tokyo! How's Fukuoka?" You'd think that the time difference would be hours and hours, but Fukuoka is still within the continent and so it might have been inexcusable for him to call at such an hour were it not for the fact that Syaoran missed him immensely, and any hour would have been fine in the end.

"I'm in Tokyo too, dude! This is once in a blue moon! We hafta meet up ta see them fireflies! Bring Sakura along okay? Let's meet up at the field!" He took a swig of some kind of liquid that could only be the non-alcoholic, decaffeinated type. Nonetheless, he sounded close to drunk. "It's the time to celebrate with fire!"

"Sakura might be asleep already…"

"You hafta bring her along!"

"Alright, alright!" Syaoran ended the call as his slant-eyed friend continued to yak about Fukuoka being so dull compared to Tokyo, afraid that Sakura might really be getting ready for sleep if he continued to listen to his best pal's ramblings.

A few rings could be heard before she picked up the phone. "Hi, Syaoran!" She sounded perky as usual, he would think to himself, but he went direct to the point.

"Takashi called… he was wondering if— actually he more of commanded it—we could meet up and watch the fireflies? It is summer, so it should make sense if we do."

"Sure! My brother's still up, so I don't think he'd mind it if I went out for a while."

* * *

The three met up at the so-called 'field', which really was just the Li residence's backyard. The help were asleep and his mother wasn't around, so they were free to stay up as long as they wanted to.

"Fireflies!" Sakura twirled around in her dress, its color contrasting with the light coming from the said bugs. "There are so many!"

"I told ya!"

"Don't get so cocky, nobody said there wouldn't be any."Syaoran muttered at Takashi.

"Geez, man! Lighten up! ... Pun intended." He winked at Syaoran as he pointed a finger at him.

The fireflies seemed to delight at the three's presence, their glow intensifying once in a while as they danced around the tall pasture.

Sakura sat on the grass, savoring the moment as she felt them prickling her skin. It really was summertime.

"I brought soda!" Takashi proudly proclaimed as he sat a few inches to Sakura's right. Syaoran sat at her left, albeit at a closer proximity.

"You brought a lot." Syaoran remarked as he rummaged through the plastic bag full of fizzy drinks.

"Of course, he brought along a lot of company!"

Syaoran and Sakura looked up to see Tomoyo jogging towards them, Eriol and Chiharu close behind. "I came for the weekend!"

"You really shouldn't leave your front gate open. Tsk, too trusting." It was Eriol who spoke. Chiharu giggled at the comment, causing Takashi to jealously stand up and rush to her side.

"We're going steady, ya punk!"

"I didn't doubt it for a second, no one did." Eriol held his hands up in mid-air as he talked, feigning surrender.

"Hey, kid, why are there only kids here?"

"Touya?!" Sakura looked at her older brother incredulously. Their dad got home the week before and so someone could take care of Hiro for them in the meantime. "What are you doing here?"

"Fireflies only show up this much during summer; might as well show up," the taller man shrugged his shoulders as he purposefully sat between his sister and her suitor.

All seven of them sat on the Li backyard, looking and pointing at the fireflies as they flew by.

'Goodbyes' may have come fast, but that doesn't mean 'hellos' couldn't be said once again.

Sakura Kinomoto glanced at Li Syaoran, who was observing how the lights from the fireflies reflected on her skin. He was off in his dream world again, it seems. She quickly got up and neared her lips to his ear as soon as her older brother fell asleep on the grass. He was much more of a baby than he would ever want anyone to know.

"By the way…" she whispered discreetly, making sure that everyone else was engrossed in their own little worlds so as not to disturb her and Syaoran's.

He looked at her questioningly, his hands starting to warm his soda can.

"I love you too."


	16. Epilogue

**Oddities in Oak Trees**

* * *

-Epilogue-

Autumn is the beginning of an end, but perhaps not all endings are the end.

A boy with a red nose and a frail build stood near the monkey bars by the oak tree at the middle of the playground. His white rubber shoes started to gather leaves around them as the leaves fell from the trees and onto him.

He looked at the kids running around and dancing to the music created by their imagination, a tender smile on his face. He remained very still, as if expecting someone. When a girl with eyes the color of emerald glass ran up to him, he still refused to move. He lingered in that same position, waiting; anticipating. The lady with emerald irises stops beside him, an apology on her lips as they proceeded to intertwine their fingers with each other's.

That was the first sign, Yelan Li had concluded.

As the boy with the red nose held her hand tightly in his, a disposition of a gentle love for the woman at his side evidently sensed, he shyly ruffled his hair as it occurred to him that what was happening was real. She leaned in for a kiss. As their lips met, the wind blessed them with a confetti of autumn's leaves. Ochre and vermilion danced around them as they smiled at each other.

And then there were no more signs needed, Yelan concluded as she drew up the car window and drove on.

Fin

* * *

**A/N: **A warm thanks to all my reviewers:

freefalldino, Justice333, kikyo2009, amelancholicangel, newgirlincity, YoshitheBunny, James Birdsong, cherrywolf, .3363, lhaine07, r0mantic at heart, , superjunior1991, starlight heels, zeKaien, langdom, rubyblossomA, deadflo, Seo Hyunee, Reviewer, Catherinthewrite, Guest, a fan, B.A.G-Gomez, dbzgtfan2004, Nidz 13, Jaein Kim, darkyubaby, logam, vane, DefinitionofLazy, AnonymousT, vumbwe, kauju-gaki-kawai, Jime-chan, MoonGuardian2007, q.t.a.k.a. spice, Frank Was Not Like Other Sheep, StarAngel02, Luna, Aki Eschirott, Hououza, Musette Fujiwara, musicalitycrushed, Che-chan, Coco Glorio, Final Fantasy Princess, MoonGuardian3007, cardcaptorsakuralover, Sakura Petal Wings, croakie, Bye, misty, No poison, karmavamp, boo, flowers, Jishinibaka-chan, Too Jaded, hennokappa, BananasForSale, SailorCSH, moon23, and Syaoran Dante

It was terribly hard to say goodbye to this story since it already has a special place in my heart, but we all do have to move on. I hope that this had a special place in your heart as well, but that it's easier for you to go on with life. Ha, ha... a bit dramatic, but that's me.

Until then, I still hope to see you around.

This may sound like a 'farewell', but please think of it as a 'hello'.


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